Every Time We Meet
by zestychicken2
Summary: One chance meeting, and a little papau fruit will intertwine Sora and Kairi's fates for the rest of their lives, no matter how far apart they drift. Current: Can you fall in love in three weeks? Kairi and Sora aren't too sure...
1. I Can't Believe I'm Going With You

**Title: **Every Time We Meet

**Summary: **One chance meeting, and a little papau fruit will intertwine Sora and Kairi's fates for the rest of their lives, no matter how far apart they drift. Current: Sora meets an interesting person in a bridal shop…

**Pairing: **Soriri

**Rating:** T for later in the story

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

**A/N: **I'm rewriting this story :) yay!

**Every Time We Meet, Part 1: A Summer Fling  
>Chapter 1: I Can't Believe I'm Going With You<strong>

She snorted at him, "Just wait until you fall in love, Sora James Carter!" His sister turned in the seat, glaring at him through matching sapphire eyes.

His expression switched to mirror her defying one, as he crossed his arms angrily, "That never answered the question as to why I'm going with you!"

Their mother listened happily, smiling at her two children bickering as she drove. When no one answered him, he mumbled and turned back towards the window, watching the beautiful summer palms and kids loving summer whoosh by. He could be out there today with them, only he was stuck going to a dress store. To watch his sister try on dresses.

"Ugh." He managed out loud, letting his head thud against the back of the seat.

His sister ignored him, and picked up animated conversation with their mother about dresses: sweetheart and strapless? How about a mermaid or a ballgown? Were sparkles splashed down the dress too much? Would a corset be too hard to get out of on the honeymoon?

"Yuck!" He gagged, shaking his head.

"Yuck what?" She glared at him, "That's what people do on honeymoons, Sora…"

"Lavender," He stated matter-of-factly, "Like you and Leon haven't already _fu_cked!"

As though trying to drown out the word, his mother helplessly cried over his curse, "Sora!" She shook her head vigorously, "As your mother, and as Lavender's mother, I don't want to hear about my baby having sex, and I don't want to hear my other baby swearing like that! Do you hear me?"

Both of the siblings looked at each other and burst out laughing. As though their mother really cared. All hard feelings suddenly drained away, and Sora found himself excited for his sister. Even if he didn't believe in marriages because they never lasted, and quite frankly, did anyone really need a gaudy ring and a certificate to prove they were in love?

"So where are we going anyways?" He asked, deciding to get some details.

"A local designer! Apparently she's really good, and all of the dresses are handmade, so if I like something about two dresses, she'll combine them!"

"She's gonna need to make a super dress then!" Sora laughed, as his sister wormed around in the chair to throw a punch at his arm.

"Children!" Their mother barked with a laugh in her tone. They stopped, but continued to grin.

"That's kind of cool," Sora decided to state, "That we don't have to go all the way to hell and back to find a dress!"

"That would definitely be a lot of gas," his mother turned and winked at him and he smiled, turning back towards the scenery.

It changed now, and small buildings blocked his view of the ocean and trees. They were old-town type buildings, cute and friendly: not a problem or danger in sight. But before he had time to think about it any further, they pulled into a spot on the curb, in front of a large-windowed store. Inside were mannequins with white, bridal gowns on them, and he stared, impressed, as he got out of the car.

"I'm so excited!" His sister dragged in his mom, and he was left, scuttling along, hopefully one day making it inside the doors.

When he finally pushed it open, there was a woman, her hair a beautiful crimson red, eyes shining a wild blue-violet talking to them animatedly.

"I'm so happy for you! He is such a cutie!" The woman winked and turned, "Oh, this must be the brother!" She beamed at him, "I'm Molly," a hand stuck out in his direction and he took it confidently. "You must be Sora! The bride's brother?"

He nodded and laughed nervously at all of her energy. And his friends thought he was hyper with enough sugar.

"Well you guys just get comfortable, okay?" She laughed and turned, "I'll be just another second. There's coffee and water, and some cookies my son made just over there!" She gestured to a small waiting area that Sora took to quite quickly.

He bit into a cookie and beamed, "These are delicious!" Laughing, he tossed one at Lavender who cowered away from it, claiming something about dieting and that she wanted to still fit in the dress.

Sora's mother, Hailey, ended up taking it, nibbling it for a while before Molly came back. "Okay! So let's talk dress of a bit!" She motioned for them to sit with her, and Sora stared into space, not really caring about what they had to say.

That's when he heard rustling in the back room, along with a string of small curses. Curious, he tip toed around the three ladies, and towards the back. He passed many elegant dresses until he came to a store room, the mumbling mystery person inside.

"Stupid box… _Why_ did Axel have to put then so far _up_? Honestly he's the _only_ one in our family who's _that_ tall!"

He watched her struggled a little longer with the box, before finally tipping it on her fingers. In a horrifying sight, the box tilted and fell, very close to crumbling upon her. She barely caught it before it smushed her face in.

He had to hold in a laugh; this girl was already very comical. "Need a hand?" He offered lightly.

She jumped about ten feet in the air, tripping off of the stool, and falling onto her butt, the contents of the box splashing all over the small closet. Instead of being angry though, her eyes got wide with curiosity. "Who are you?" She exclaimed with a gasp, clearly surprised someone found her in her struggle.

He laughed and gestured towards the front, "I'm with the bride that just came in…" He shuffled forward, careful not to stop on anything, and extended a hand.

"I meant your name," she laughed with a grin as she took the offer.

"Oh!" He blushed, suddenly feeling stupid for not understanding right away, "I'm Sora…"

"Cool name!" She laughed, and shook his hand then, having never let it go. A deeper blush came to his face when he realized it. Why was he so embarrassed in front of this girl?

She had the same deep crimson hair as the woman out in the main lobby, and the same violet eyes – though maybe a little lighter. She was petite, but tough looking, and smiled a sweet, spunky smile when she replied, "I'm Kairi!"

"Kairi…" He repeated in almost a dreamy like state… He didn't understand why, but he really thought the name was beautiful. When he said this out loud she blushed to the color of her air, and turned around.

"That's really sweet," she laughed, nervousness evident in her tone, "I like you already!" He was taken aback, though he understood she didn't mean much by it. She was blunt; he kind of enjoyed that quality in a girl.

Heaving the box back into her arms, she turned back around, only to knock into the shelves. Some things came tumbling down, but Sora expertly caught them before they smashed onto the floor, or onto the girl. She was in awe as she slowly wobbled forward with the box.

"Nice catch!" She praised with a laugh.

His chest puffed up a little as he thought of his response, "Thanks, I play football…" It came out a lot less smooth than he intended it to be, but she didn't catch it.

"Football? Really! In DI? It's weird I've never seen you before…"

He laughed, sheepishly replying, "I actually play in Twilight Town… I'm from there – my family and I are here for a little vacation before my sister's wedding."

"Oh!" She smiled that same sweet smile, "I got'cha! Well I hope you like it here enough to come back!" A grin passed on her face quickly as she meandered into the hall, "It's a beautiful place to live!"

"I wouldn't doubt it!" He remarked, helping her with the boxes as they moved into the lobby.

The three older women in the room all raised an eyebrow at the pair, but both of them beamed back. "Mom this is Sora!"

"So I hear," she smiled, "nice to meet you once again."

"Mom and Sister, this is Kairi!"

They both were expecting a handshake, but received hugs instead, "It's so great to meet you! Congratulations on the wedding!" She laughed at their shocked faces and danced (surprisingly graceful, considering the mishap in the closet) to her mother's side, "Are we ready to look at gowns?"

"Actually Kai, I need you to unpack those boxes and put the new displays in the windows…" Her face was apologetic, but the girl didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Okay! Just as long as you show me every dress!" She giggled and picked up the box once more.

As the three moved away, Sora hung back, watching the girl as she wobbled over to the window and began humming. Her voice seemed as though it could put Sora to sleep as he moved closer, "Do you need help?"

Confusion plastered onto her face then, "Don't you want to watch your sister?"

"Meh…" He shrugged, "I don't really like dress shopping… It's not for me," he grinned at that, "so why bother? Besides, if they're showing you all of the dresses too, then that means if I'm right here, I'll get to see them too!"

"That's a good point," she nodded then giggled, gesturing to the box. "Could you lift that one over here? It's kind of heavy…"

He nodded and moved it, grunting as he did so. Wherever the girl had the sudden strength to tip it off the shelf and not have it crush her face, he had no idea. "Shit…" He cursed as he stumbled.

She giggled as she watched him, and then slowly started stripping the front mannequin. "So Sora, tell me about your football career."

"What about it?" He asked as he unfolded the flaps of the box. He watched out the window for a moment as a few kids ran by, waving to the redhead in front of him, making a face, and jogging away.

"What position do you play? How good are you? Is it just high school – what?"

"Oh!" Again he felt stupid for asking such silly questions, "Well I'm the quarterback and captain of the team…" He laughed, "A lot of people say that they're afraid of me when I play football, which doesn't really make sense because I'm not, under any circumstance, the biggest guy on the team… But I mean I mess up just like everyone else –"

"You're very modest about your obvious skill," she added with a grin.

Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, he continued, "I'm heading back for my senior year of football after we leave Destiny Islands," this time he nodded, "And I've gotten a few offers from colleges, but nothing too big yet."

"Wow!" Her eyes got wide as she laughed giddily, "I've never met a football player who might go pro!"

"Oh no, no, no!" He threw his hands up in front of him, rapidly shaking them and his head, "I'm not near good enough –"

"Whatever…" She rolled her eyes and finished folding the dress back up, handing it to him to put in the clear, hanging bag from the separate box.

"What about you, Miss Kairi? What do you do in your spare time?"

"I help my mom with her store…" She shrugged, and stopped, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I play guitar and sing, have three brothers… Hmmm let's see – I can speak German, French, Italian, Latin, and English, and I cannot cook to save my life."

He laughed out loud at the random thoughts she decided to give him, but it was a start. "Can't cook, huh? Well me and you are waaay opposites then!" He winked at her, finishing zipping up the bag, "I make some mean macaroni and cheese!"

She burst into laughter, and eventually, it spread to him as well. If someone would have walked by they probably would have been considered crazy… maybe just a little. As she calmed down and wiped the tears forming in her eyes, and stopped clutching her stomach, trying to hold back the ache, she shook her head at him. "For some reason that was way funnier than it should have been!"

He snorted, "I could let you try it sometime… Then you wouldn't be laughing anymore." Immediately she sobered and raised an eyebrow. A deep blush came to his cheeks as he stuttered over his next words.

It was her turn to snort as she shook her head, "I'm just kidding! I would love to!"

"Cool… Heh," he wondered if it was appropriate to say so or not, "It's a date…"

Again, she didn't mean anything by it as she nodded her head determined, and went back to dressing the mannequin. For a moment, he reflected on exactly what had just happened between the two. They had just met a matter of fifteen minutes ago, and already he felt like they were old friends.

Rolling his eyes though, he realized when he left here, he would most likely never see the girl again. He would test it: if she wanted to see him, she would ask for his number before he left… It was decided.

Their silence was interrupted as Lavender appeared in the first dress. Then their conversations shifted to her, and what she would look good in, and soon to the dress shop itself.

"So your mom owns this place, huh?"

"Yeah!" She beamed, "Her mom owned a little sewing shop before her, and then my grandma made a dress one day for a customer, and just absolutely fell in love. She was really good at it too!" Kairi laughed and shook her head, "My mom grew up loving designing dresses, and her and I have a knack for weddings."

He chuckled at her, but didn't say anything about what she had told him. She stopped, letting the fabric forcefully fall into her lap as she stared, "What?"

"Huh?" He played dumb though he knew what she was referring to.

"What was that chuckle for?" She half teased, "What do you not agree with?"

He shrugged, debating if he should tell her the real reason. In the end, he figured since he'd never see her again, why not just be completely honest? It wasn't every day he didn't have to hide things from people.

"I just don't believe in marriages."

She almost choked on her own breath as her eyes widened. If he didn't know she was serious, he would have laughed at her expression, "What?" It was his turn to ask the questions.

"How do you not believe in loving someone so much you want to spend the rest of your life with them?"

"First of all… most marriages are because of money or an unwanted pregnancy… and secondly, over half of them result in divorce these days –" she opened her mouth as though to argue, but shut it again when she knew he had a point, "- and," he shrugged, not really knowing what to say, "I mean… I just don't think that if I love a girl enough to want to spend the rest of my life with her, I need to go and get a certificate and a huge rock just to prove I love her… Do you go and certify your friendship with your best friend?"

"I guess not," she admitted, but shook her head, "You don't ever want to get married?"

"I want to find that perfect girl, but no, I see no point in getting married."

"Huh… I guess that's one way to look at it," she shrugged, though he could tell she definitely wasn't happy with the answer, "it's a pessimistic way, but a way nevertheless…"

He laughed at her sentence, before his sister came out in about her eighth dress. Both Sora and Kairi's mouths dropped as she stepped out and beamed at her little brother. The two women behind her were as equally impressed.

It was an all white dress, tight, with the folds of the fabric seemingly floating over each other. The fitted part ended at a slant at her thighs, and from there, it sprawled in tulle laced, here and there, with white roses. All along the left side of the dress, trailing down and around at the end of the fitted part were embroidered beadings. The back was a corset, lacing up her narrow back, and the color contrasted beautifully with her tanned skin and chocolate hair.

Her almond eyes shimmered with delight as she smiled gracefully at the two teenagers, "Well? What do you think?" She spun once more them, and Kairi shook her head.

"If you buy any dress but that one, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

Lavender quite liked that comment, and looked to Sora for approval.

He looked at his sister once more, and noticed how stunning and beautiful she looked in her dress. No matter their disagreements and fights, and how they didn't see eye to eye on practically everything, he still knew she'd be there for him forever. Just like she had been when he'd gotten into the car accident, when his father died, after every football game, after every hockey game, through every heart break or bone break… everything. Lavender was there probably even _more_ than their mother was… and even if his choices were wrong, she supported him one hundred percent.

"Lavender…" He spoke quietly, and forced himself to keep looking at her, even though it was an embarrassing thing that he was about to say. "You are probably the most beautiful bride in the whole world in that dress… I think that's the one…"

And Sora's approval was all she looked for before she squealed, ran over, and hugged him, leaping into his arms and squirming around in glee. "Oh my god, I'm so happy!" She cried as she pushed off of him, rushing back over to the mirror animatedly to watch herself in the dress, and cry.

He laughed and scratched the back of his neck when Kairi stared his way, but slowly, her eyes averted to his older sister.

When a dress was being bought, it seemed there was even more for the redhead to do, so Sora was unable to grab another word with her. Every time he got close to mustering up the courage to ask about a number or a place they could maybe meet, or _anything_, she'd be whisked away on some errand.

And then suddenly, it was time to say goodbye. Slowly, he walked out the door, helping carry the dress, as he glanced backwards to see if the girl would emerge from the back, after being gone for a good fifteen minutes. But to no avail, and once he got in the car, he forced himself not to turn back to see if she'd be running in the streets after him.

It was idiotic to say the least, but he'd never had such a connection with someone in his life… Too bad, he'd never see her again.

?

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!**


	2. When Destiny Calls for it, It'll Happen

**Title: **Every Time We Meet

**Summary: **Sora meets this mystery girl again, and learns a little about her over some festival magic, but the more he gets to know her, the more questions arise.

**Pairing:** Soriri

**Rating: **T for later in the story

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. Nor do I own _Misery Business_ – that belongs to Paramore.

**A/N: **A different spin to what maybe some of you have read already!

**Every Time We Meet, Part 1: A Summer Fling**

**Chapter 2: When Destiny Calls for it, It'll Happen**

"Come on Sora, it's almost our last night here… would you please just _try_ to have a little fun?"

He shrugged and kicked at the sand, "But I don't know if a festival is going to be fun going with you and _Mom_!"

"We're not that boring," his mother pointed out, her honey blonde hair ruffling in the wind as she walked, "I think it'll be fun!"

He smiled at them, even if he didn't feel like going to the festival. It was going to be a lot of expensive, tasty foods, and maybe a few rides before his mother would insist she leave the two alone because she was tired, but really she would be feeling queasy and find a garbage can to throw up in.

Sora rolled his eyes – it was his typical family, and though he loved them for everything they were, it was fairs were definitely _not_ a place of love and companionship for the Carters. Lavender got her dress over a week ago, and they were still here, enjoying the beach and nice weather.

"Just look how beautiful it is!" Lavender breathed, running ahead in awe. It was truly beautiful… The sun was just now hiding behind the horizon line, and shot bright colors towards them, that faded from blazing pinks to pastel purples, until the night sky began to turn on its twinkling lights one by one behind them.

It was a definite advantage of Destiny Islands: the beach. These colors reflected off of the already glittering water, and the melodic sound of lightly crashing waves seemed to fit in perfectly with the themed music and chatter and children laughing.

"Hey Sora, I have a little surprise for your sister…" She beamed as she nodded up the path. Both watched as Leon, Lavender's fiancé, meandered towards them, looking as bored as ever, but at the same time, happy to see them.

"It's an absolute zoo down there," he commented a bit grumpily when he finally made it to them, "I've already scanned the whole place."

"Wow, way to be a buzz kill, Leon," Sora grinned at him, and the brunette rolled his eyes, glancing around.

"Where's Lav?"

"Ran ahead because the colors distracted her," Sora laughed, and his mother shook her head.

"Mrs. Carter, a pleasure, as always."

"Oh please Leon… It's Hailey, okay?" She winked at him, and took his arm, "While we try and find Lavender, mind being my hot, young escort?"

He laughed, and as they faded into conversation, their figures also faded away. So much for family time. Sora sighed, and figured he'd make the best out of his alone R&R. When he got back to Twilight Town, he'd be training full time for football. There wasn't enough time to relax.

Starting forward, he glanced around at all of the booths. There were kissing booths, and games, food stands and picture-taking places, rides every once in a while, and other random stands he didn't think possible to put at a fair. Shrugging, he decided to grab something to eat to begin.

"Next!" He moved up in the line towards the front, and opened his mouth to order his mouth-watering corn dog, until a flash of red caught his eye.

He whipped his head to the side, and watched a stage, with a big head of red hair waggling their butt all over stage. Instead of ordering, he ran forward, hope flittering in his chest. But as soon as he reached the stage, the audience laughing and cheering, this redhead turned around.

Electric green eyes stunned him, instead of the soft violet he had seen in the bridal shop. He put the mic up to his lips again, and laughed, asking the audience if they wanted more of the show.

They all screamed, and from behind the stage, a couple more people came on. There was a weird guy with a sitar and dirty blonde hair, another redhead with the same stunning hair and make up under his eyes, and then there was a girl. With crimson hair and violet eyes, she danced onto the stage with a guitar in shorts and a yellow halter top. The redhead he had originally seen put his arm around the girl, and began to sing into the microphone.

The others picked up the tune on their instruments quickly, the sitar, guitar, and drums, along with the tallest member's voice, carried music across the crowd. People immediately began to cheer, but died down swiftly so they could hear the song. Everybody picked up the rhythm and started to sway, including Sora, even though he hadn't realized he was doing it.

With a smile on his face, he watched as the four members of the band played into the crowd, until the redhead through Kairi the microphone. She grabbed it, and threw him the guitar, and they switched parts. She let them pick up a different tune, and then put the mic to her lips.

Sora blinked, his eyes widening at her voice. When she said she played the guitar, she had failed to mention that she could _sing_. He listened on, as the whole band went crazy. People broke into cheers as one more came onto the stage. He was blonde, still with electric green eyes, as the two male redheads, and he came in with the bass.

Either they were really just _that_ good, or many of the people in the audience knew them. But as he looked up at the girl singing, he realized, maybe it was a bit of both.

_Whoa, I never meant to brag, but I've got him where I want him now, Whoa it was never my intention to brag, to steal it all away from you now!_

The band hit a point where all were moving back and forward with the beat at the same time, instruments hitting a note, and stopping, and repeating the process. The effect had the people in the audience going crazy.

Things slowly got quieter as she put the mic back to her lips, and her eyes lit up in the performance brighter than Sora's own, when he played football.

_I watched his wildest dreams come true, and not one of them involving you… Just watch my wildest dreams come true, not when of them involving –_

The band broke into a blazing noise, and she threw the mic back at the redhead and waved to the audience. Each instrument had its own little solo as she took her guitar back from the tallest guy, and began playing, fading into the background once more.

A couple songs later, their time on stage was over, and the redhead began talking to the crowd.

"Thank you everyone for watching yet another one of our crazy shows!" He winked at a couple of girls standing next to Sora and they went berserk, "Remember, you heard the lovely voice and guitar skills of Axel and Kairi Porter tonight!" He laughed as everyone cheered, "Not to mention the amazing, and kind of weird, talent of Demyx Borail on the sitar, Reno Porter on the drums, and Alex Porter on the bass! I hope you all enjoyed!" He winked at a few different girls this time, but their screams were drowned out from the eruption of cheers from the crowd.

"Just one more thing!" He tacked on, "We got to, you know, promote the festival and all that jazz in order to play here each year… Don't forget to try your luck with the drinks at the drink stands," he winked, "You might get a special papau fruit in your drink that will keep your future intertwined with whoever you share it with!"

Girls giggled as he winked once more, "This is the legend, for those of you who don't know, that this whole festival is based off of… So good luck! And enjoy the night!" Everyone cheered once more as they got off the stage, Kairi grinning at her brother as they moved.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled before he even realized what he was doing. But his voice was swallowed in the crowd, and she didn't turn around.

It was either go with his gut, and follow her, or let her go. That was silly… why would he follow a girl who he had just met, as though they had something together? It was really rather stupid. But Sora recognized the feeling in himself. It was the same when he played football, when he told his mom they needed to leave and try to find his father, and when Leon told him he was going to propose to Lavender… All of his intuition had always been right.

He actually laughed out loud then. What did this have to do with intuition? It was a girl who he met once, and enjoyed the company of. As if he hadn't met a girl like that before… It was ridiculous. It meant nothing…

He turned to leave, to find a different booth to hold his attention before his mom finally sought him out.

"Sora!" He turned, and surprise overtook him. Kairi was bounding towards him, eyes sparkling, Lavender and Leon behind her.

Blinking stupidly, he turned fully around as she skid to a stop in front of him, "Hey! I didn't think I'd see you here!"

"Kairi?"

"Well duh!" She grinned, "I bumped into Lavender and Leon when Axel and I were leaving the concert! You never told me Lavender was getting married to _Squall_!"

His eyes narrowed at the name, but for the first time Sora'd seen, he kept his mouth shut about the name.

"How do you know Leon?"

She smiled and tilted her head, "Didn't you know that Lavender and Leon met at this festival? Leon and Axel went to high school together," she laughed, "though I guess they both took way different paths as they thought they would!" She smirked.

He walked closer and took a better look at Axel. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you!" His eyes lid up as he laughed, "You're in almost every high school picture of Leon's!"

Axel laughed and turned to him, "Dude, seriously?" He chuckled, and that soon turned into a booming laughter. Kairi turned and grinned at the two as Lavender started in.

Suddenly, Sora felt very out of the loop. Lavender smiled at him and nodded when she caught his eye. He knew what _that_ look was for. But again, without thinking before speaking, he said it.

"So Kairi, how about you show me the cool parts of this place!" She turned in surprise, but soon, her expression changed to a challenging one.

"Alright, Sora!" She laughed, "You're on!"

He grinned at her, about to speak, before she sped off past him, laughing and calling backwards about how she was already winning. He wasn't sure how it became a race, but immediately he turned and ran after her.

?

"So if you don't believe in marriage, do you believe in love?" It was such a random question.

They had been silent for a number of minutes, relaxing on the sand, watching the fireworks light up the sky. He glanced at her, watching the explosion of colors reflect off of her face. She stared straight up at the sky, as though she hadn't spoken at all, but the question still lingered in the air.

"I think so…" He nodded, "I've never been in love… But I think so…" He nodded slowly, returning his eyes to the sky.

"Are you leaving here soon, Sora?"

He laughed and glanced at her, "You know, I didn't think you'd be all depressed about it…" He pressed into her shoulder lightly, nudging her.

She responded with a light laugh and a small smile, "I like you…" she shook her head, as though embarrassed to say so, "I feel like we've known each other forever, and I couldn't even begin to think of when I would stop thinking of you when I leave…"

He wasn't sure exactly what that meant. "What do you mean?" He questioned out loud.

She laughed whole heartedly then and shook her head, "What am I saying? I think I'm just going crazy!"

"Who knows, maybe you're not alone…" He smiled a dazzling grin at her shocked face, then leaned back on the palms of his hands, watching with sapphire eyes as the sky lit up again. "I only have a little time left in Destiny Islands." He finally answered her question, but she felt no need to comment on it.

Banging and booming suddenly erupted in the distance and she jumped up, on her feet in no time at all, "The finale is starting! Come on!" She yanked him up off the sand and dragged him towards the water.

He finally ripped his hand out of her grasp at the very last second, "Are you nuts?" He asked, baffled.

She laughed and waded into the water until it was just a little lower than waist deep. The fringe of her shorts floated in the water, and suddenly many flares shot into the air at the same time. They seemed to simultaneously pop as reds, purples, blues, oranges, yellows, whites, and every other color he could think of engulfed the dark night sky.

But what captured him more than the fireworks themselves, was how she stood in the water, completely entranced in the explosion of colors. But they weren't just above her – they were below her as well.

Before he seemed to know what he was doing, he had taken out his cell phone and snapped a picture of the sight. It was a good thing his phone was high quality – it captured every detail perfectly.

Slipping it back in his pocket, he kicked off his shoes and joined her in the water, brushing his hand against hers. She blushed and glanced at him, and for a moment their eyes connected.

"You're different than a lot of girls I've ever met…" He found himself saying.

What was he doing exactly? He had only met this girl twice, and yet, he was saying the cheesiest lines in the entire book. The thought made him want to smack himself in the head. At least if he wanted to hit on her, he could have been smooth. But had that been his previous intention? Maybe not… he couldn't remember… All that mattered was their moment right now.

But as soon as the magic of the moment started, it ended again, and the lights faded to black, ending the show. Her face suddenly was overtaken by the peaceful dark of the night, and he couldn't see her anymore.

She laughed, and turned around, facing the sand. He mirrored her movements as they made their way to the shore. "Hey!" He called out, "Are you hungry?"

"I hadn't even thought about it!" she admitted sheepishly. Her stomach growled greedily, and she put a hand on it, "But I think it's telling me that it's hungry! Let's go!"

He nodded to her, and they set off towards a stand. "So what's good to eat here?"

"Their corn dogs are amazing," she nodded, "Mmmm, I can just smell it already!"

"Maybe it's cause we're next to the stand?" She rolled his eyes at the comment, but the smell _was_ sucking him in. He recalled his earlier attempt to buy a corn dog, and thought how ironic it was that he was now back at the stand.

He ordered two and paid, much to her protest, and waited along side the counter.

"I'll have to buy something for the both of us then!" She giggled and bought a strawberry-banana smoothie.

"Waaaatch Ouuut!" They turned to see a stilted clown on a gigantic bike coming straight for them and the stand, "I can't control iiit!"

Kairi snatched Sora's arm and tugged him out of the way, just by a hair. The tire of the bike slammed into the stand, and though it did little to shake the people inside and their intense determination on the art of fair food, the shelves rattled inside the little trailer.

What nobody saw was the small fruit, hiding in a container on the top shelf, plopped into the smoothie, just before the man turned around. As soon as he did, he placed the cover on it, and blended… Nobody would even know about the star-shaped fruit that fell inside.

After a few minutes of waiting around, and helping out the clown, they received their food. Each took a bite of the corndog and let out a little moan. It was delicious!

"What'd you get us to drink?" Sora asked, excitedly.

Kairi took a small sip, and her eyes lit up, "It's even better than I remember it! Something about the taste makes this amazing!" She laughed as he gently snatched it from her, hungrily taking a gulp.

Sweet flavors slid down his throat, "Mmmmm…" His eyes closed contently, "That's amazing!"

"Strawberry-banana smoothie!" She said, as though he had asked once again what she had ordered.

Kairi took another swig of the drink, but then stopped, tilting her head and watching the brunette. She smacked her lips together quietly for a second, scrutinizing the taste of her drink quietly. There was something different… but she couldn't seem to pin the difference as she stared at the brunette.

He blinked at her in confusion as she watched him, before it finally struck her what she was doing, and she glanced away, embarrassed. He chuckled and took another bite of his corn dog, all the while taking a sip of the smoothie.

Sora then seemed to mirror her movements. He swore there was something not banana-y or strawberry-y about the taste of the smoothie as well… but just as with her, he couldn't pick out exactly what it was, as he focused on her.

"Let's play a game!" She suddenly broke from their private moment and jumped up, tossing her half eaten corn dog in the garbage. Her mind definitely moved to different subjects faster than him.

He laughed, following, "Okay!" Only, he wasn't as quick to throw away his meal.

?

"I won again!" She laughed, picking out a giant panda from the top shelf. The man gave it to her gently, and she held it up for Sora to see.

"I've just been letting you win!" He scoffed playfully, folding his arms, "I didn't want a stuffed animal…"

"Who says I did?" She teased with a wink.

He opened his mouth to make a smart reply, but stopped when he realized he had nothing to say. But then he opened his mouth again, and slowly shut it, resembling a goldfish. To this, she had to laugh out loud.

"You're weird!" She cried out.

He pushed her gently, and she returned the gesture, before running off ahead of him. "Hey!" He shouted, racing after her. They continued this game for a long while, before their hastiness had Kairi running into someone.

"Oof!" She grumbled as she fell on her butt, looking up at the one who had just knocked her down.

"Well hello, Kairi…" The voice sent shivers down her spin as she turned away. "I didn't expect to see you running around like a child…"

Sora jogged up next to her, "Hey Kai, you okay?"

"Who's this, you're new play toy?"

Sora's defensiveness began to kick in, and he glanced at the kid up and down, "Who the fuck are you?" He demanded.

"Tsk… Kairi always loved men with potty mouths…" He laughed at her hard expression as she stood.

"Answer the question," Sora stated menacingly.

"You haven't told your new lover boy about me? Kairi, I'm genuinely hurt…"

She rolled her eyes. Suddenly, a new, nastier side of Kairi was coming out as well. "Back the fuck off Riku…"

He blinked in surprise, "Is that really how you feel about me, Kairi? That's not what you said the last time we talked…"

She growled and shoved past him, only to meet a friend of his standing in her way, "Move." She demanded.

"And if I don't?" He snickered.

She felt Sora's stare on her back, but blocked it out when she punched the guy square in the face. He cried out like a child who skidded his knee and ran past him. Sora, with all of his intelligence, made a break for it as well.

He watched her tense form as she ran, but after a while of sprinting, when even he became tired, she slowly loosened up, slowing into a happy trot as she began to pass the many booths.

"Kai, what was that all about?" Sora asked gently. How could she let that go so easily? Wouldn't those guys come back?

She shrugged, "He just likes to harass me is all… I've punched that one boy more than one time in my life, it's not too big of a deal."

"Who was he?"

"Riku Almone and Jules Standaert."

He blinked in surprise, "Almone? He's a football player!"

"How'd you know?"

"He's like… my biggest rivaling competition for quarterback… and I'm his."

It was her turn to look surprised, and then switched to slightly uncomfortable, "Do you… know him?"

"Not personally, but I talked to him at a game once, helmet on and everything so I couldn't see his face – he was a fucking bastard."

A beam stretched over her face, "Good," and she shot him a look that said she'd say no more as she pranced away, him rolling his eyes and following her.

There were many secrets to this girl, and Sora was slowly finding out he wanted to know all of them.

?

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed :)**


	3. A Little Time Has Felt Like an Eternity

**Title: **Every Time We Meet  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Something so amazing shouldn't be left to fate… So Sora's best friend decides to help him along.  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>Soriri  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T for later in the story  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN: **I apologize if I move too fast for some people, but that's just the way it's going to go. **A/N Again: **Sorry about the lateness of this chapter... I didn't even realize I hadn't updated last week! I'm such a bad person! :) I hope you enjoy this!

**Every Time We Meet, Part 1: A Summer Fling  
>Chapter 3: A Little Time Has Felt Like an Eternity<strong>

"So, are you going to give me your phone number, or what?" She smiled up at him, large violet eyes blinking innocently at him.

He glanced at her and chuckled, "I didn't think you'd want it…"

"Why wouldn't I?"

They had spent the entire night at the festival together. Even far after it had been deserted by families, and people who couldn't drink, they played games and laughed, running around and riding the lame rides there.

Eventually, they ended on the beach again, each laying in the sand and staring up at the stars, simply talking to each other. They'd been in silence for a while now, and the brunette had been convinced she'd fallen asleep.

"I'm leaving in a few days…" He admitted to her, and she whistled, turning on her side.

She surprised him, and with his arms crossed behind his head, he turned to smile a dazzling smirk at her.

"Who said romances have to last more than a few days?"

Those words surprised him, and she winked, sitting up in the sand.

"What did you –"

She pointed up at the stars, "Look… It's a shooting star… Make a wish, Sora…" They both stared, the lights being reflected in their large orbs. After a few moments, she glanced at him, "what did you wish for?"

"If I told you…" He leaned closed to her face in mockery, "It wouldn't come true…"

"Really?" She lowered her own voice and leaned a little closer, though not for the same reasons as him. Sora blinked slowly at her, and leaned forward, closing the gap between them.

Her soft lips pressed onto his for only a moment, ghosting them, as though she wasn't sure if she should be doing this. After all, she had made the obvious comment earlier about being attracted to him, right?

Or had he misinterpreted her meaning…?

He pressed forward now, hungry for the kiss, but softly. This time, she had no hesitation as she pressed back with equal force. A freeing feeling set over Sora, and suddenly, it was only her and him – him and her.

He could vaguely hear the rush of the ocean water, teasing the shore by casting in, but then reeling out once more. Distantly, he could feel the cool, sea-salt wind on his skin, but he was heating up with the intensity of her kiss.

Slowly, she brought a hand to his cheek, and cupped it affectionately, sending shock waves through his skin. What was happening to him? He had never felt this sort of connection with anyone before…

This was just the silly start of something that would end only a few days later, and then he would never see her again. As soon as he pulled back, she seemed to realize the same thing, and blinked at him then.

A deep blush was on her face, and he was certain it was on his as well.

"I'm sorry…" she murmured, looking away, "I don't know what that was…"

He smiled, though said nothing to her, and turned away as well. "My family is probably wondering where I am…"

She nodded, and regretfully, stood from the sand, offering him a hand. He noticed right away that her mood had deteriorated – whether from embarrassment or disappointment, he didn't know.

Was it just getting caught up in this crazy fantasy on a moonlit night that had him so attracted to this redheaded beauty? Or was it something more…

"Goodnight!" She squeaked timidly, before shooting forward and kissing his cheek, quickly turning and bolting away up the beach.

He watched her go, and knew somehow, that she was also leaving it to fate. If they met again, they knew it was something more…

?

"Sora! Sora, it's time to go! Are you all packed? We're leaving for the train station in about ten minutes!"

She pushed open the door to her son's room, and sighed, shaking her head. He was asleep still in his shoes, the laces mostly undone, his shirt almost taken off. He must have been exhausted when he got home last night – at who knows what time…

She gently shuffled over and shook him awake, "Sora! It's time to get up!" He groaned and heaved himself all the way onto the bed, flopping over to reveal his ridiculously messy hair.

She smiled and began pulling clothing from the drawers, folding them neatly into his suitcase. He had a lot of extra room, which meant he probably just shoved them in there on the way over. Humming, she threw open the curtains of the window, and he groaned again, wrapping himself in the blanket as one shoe slipped off.

"Sora, honey… we're leaving, and I swear if you get up, I'll make Leon save you a cinnamon roll…"

Immediately he was up and rushing out the door, "_Leon don't you eat all those damn cinnamon rolls!_" He cried out, causing his mother to laugh.

When he reached the kitchen of the suite, he saw that nobody was in the room, nor were there cinnamon rolls on the counter.

"What?" He cried out, shedding a tear, "No breakfast?"

She chuckled, "They already left?"

"Left for what?"

"The train station? We're leaving early…"

Something just seemed to fall apart in his mind as he stared at her stupidly. He scratched his head for a moment, before it clicked together. Them leaving today meant there was no time for Kairi to find him.

"_Why?_" He gasped, eyes wide.

His mother was taken aback, but said nothing, "There's a little surprise waiting at home for you…" She winked, "so we wanted to make it back as quickly as possible."

The brunette was suddenly torn. He didn't know if he should be happy then, about going home, or if he should mourn solely because now – wait… They both decided to leave it up to fate, so maybe this was fate's way of saying 'you're not going to see her again'.

He sighed, "When are we leaving?"

She checked her watch and smiled pleasantly, "Five minutes!"

"What?" He gasped, escaping into the bathroom and shucking his clothes, hopping into the shower.

He howled when the ice water stung him, but squeezed his eyes shut and quickly washed with the hotel soap. Grumbling, he stumbled out of the shower and into his room, where his mother had tactfully laid out clothes for him already.

"Two minutes, Sora!" She called in a sing-song voice, humming as she packed the last of their things.

He shook out his hair as best he could, ignoring the drips of water that fell onto his clothes. Tossing the rest of his things into the duffle bag, he jogged into the living area.

His mother laughed, waving a cinnamon roll in his face, as he snatched it from her, and stuffed it in his mouth with a smile. She giggled tenderly and ruffled his wet hair, before picking up her bag. "Since I gave you what you wanted, you help me with these bags…"

He groaned, but obliged, and threw his duffle over his shoulder, so he could help his mom. They were on their way home.

?

Before he knew it, his eyes had shut on the train, Lavender and Leon having fled the apartment to find the dining cart, and his mother reading an intense romance novel on the other side. With his head on his bag, he fell into a peaceful sleep.

The sun's rays finally awoke him far later, when Lavender had taken his mothers spot, passed out, curled up on Leon's lap. His mother was now missing, and his eyes blinked quickly, trying to keep out the light.

Groaning, he sat up slowly, dazed, and glanced out the window. The beautiful sunset was playing out in Twilight Town, the friendly, cozy buildings reflecting the rays in many different ways. In some ways, it was a relief to be home. He glanced above their seat into the luggage rack to see Lavender's dress, all hidden in a snug bag, so Leon couldn't see.

He turned towards the window, also realizing why it was a shame that he needed to come home so quickly. As the slowed down, he saw the familiar train station coming into view. It showed Station Plaza, littered with kids playing with balls, and couples watching the horizon over the ledge.

Sora smiled, and glanced over at his sister as she stirred. "Well good morning, Princess…" Leon spoke softly to her, and Sora had to turn away.

He felt, whenever Leon didn't have his tough front on, and was speaking to his sister in such a loving way, he was intruding on an intimate moment. It wasn't his to see Leon in such away, nor did he want to… It kind of made him uncomfortable.

Their mother (thankfully) opened the door at that time, and beamed, "We're here! Come on Sora! Oh I'm so excited to get you home so you can see your surprise!" He looked at her, highly confused.

Lavender and Leon wore a matching grin, and the brunette's jaw dropped, "You two know too? And neither of you bothered to tell me?"

"It's a good surprise!" Lavender giggled.

He glared at her, but the grin on his face said he was joking as he stood and stretched. All day on a train was a hassle, especially if you fall asleep in awkward ways on the seat.

"I want the dress!" Lav jumped up and snatched it down, though did it in a gentle way.

"Sora, carry her bags since she's got her hands full…"

"What?" Sora whined, "She has like, a gazillion of them!"

His mother shrugged and took her own luggage, throwing Sora's duffle onto the seat for him. Leon nodded at his soon-to-be brother-in-law and took his fiancée's bags instead. "Come on, Sora!" His mother would _not_ stop nagging him. He honestly wondered what could be so amazing that he was being ushered home so fast…

They unloaded the train, and he glanced around, seeing many familiar people returning and leaving for summer trips. A few waved at him, and he nodded back, his hands being full. Once they stepped outside, he breathed in the fresh, airy scent of the city.

It didn't have a wonderful waft of the sea, much like Destiny Islands did, but he still appreciated that glorious smell of fresh air. It reminded him of the football field, and everything that came with that place…

"Sora!" He snapped back into reality and ran forward, meeting up with his family.

It was pretty silent on the walk home. His mother was jittery with excitement, and Lavender couldn't stop smiling. Leon shoved his hands in his pockets, pride, for some awkward reason, swelling within him – almost visible off his being.

Sora made a face, slightly scared of the obnoxious behavior of his family. They walked the streets, more people waving to the four of them as they moved, others laughing and running up to Sora.

"Sora! You're back!" Hayner slung an arm around him, "So we're finally going to set foot on the field again, huh?"

"Definitely!" Sora high fived the blonde, "There's no way we're letting anyone beat us again this year!"

He laughed and nodded, "Rock on, dude!" His chocolate eyes shown with admiration as he waved, "I'll see you there then! Email us and let us know when our first practice is!"

Even though football practice didn't technically start until August, and it was still June, Sora always had a knack for starting early. When he started, others got the inspiration to start, and soon, their whole team, under no coach but Sora's natural skill, started their practices early.

When they got back to the house, Hailey excitedly burst through the door, dropping her things, and moving deeper into the house. Lavender and Leon followed suit, while Sora hung back, skeptical of what he would find…

"Mom?" He walked in to see the house surprisingly dark. On second thought, why hadn't he followed them in right away, "Lav?" He flipped on the light to find an array of people inside.

"_Congratulations Sora!_" They all yelled, and he had half a heart attack right on the spot.

His eyes were huge, his grin almost bigger, "What's all this about, guys?" He laughed as his best friend, Roxas, walked up to him, his face challenging.

He held up an envelope, already opened of course, in front of the brunette's face… Then he slid his finger, to reveal two of them. He grabbed them and read the front.

Both were college letters, one addressed to Sora Carter, and the other to Roxas Harper. His eyes widened in realization, "Is this…" Quickly, he flung Roxas' letter at him, and yanked the letter out of the large envelope.

_Dear Mr. Carter,_

_We're pleased to inform you, that you've been accepted into High Land University…_

It went on to talk about football, and how proud they were to be formally writing him a letter, specifically for him. They spoke of scholarships and how they look forward to watching him along his senior year of football, and they're excited for him to walk onto their field for the first time.

He almost choked up as he glanced up at Roxas. "Did you –"

"Yup…" His best friend's smirk then grew into a huge smile, "We're going to Radiant Garden together, baby!" They high fived and began laughing, as everyone cheered.

?

It was long after the party had worn on, that the two wanted some peace. They had grown so close over the years, that it was hardly fair to separate them for the whole week and a half Sora had been gone.

They sat on the rooftop of a nearby building, where Sora handed Roxas a coca cola – the good stuff, from the glass bottle.

"How was your trip?" Roxas finally got the chance to ask, his blonde hair blowing in the breeze.

The two hadn't gotten much of a chance to talk, due to their party. But when they assumed it was safe, and the spotlight was more on partying than the two boys, they snuck off.

"Boring… Lav found her dress –" he stopped, wondering if he should tell Roxas.

The blonde raised an eyebrow, matching sapphire eyes watching skeptically. "Okay, what _really_ happened?"

He laughed and scratched the back of his head, "I guess you know me too well! Well…" He looked down at his hands, "I met this girl…"

"A girl, huh? I'm not surprised…" Roxas winked at him, "So you get –"

"It wasn't like that!" Sora found himself defending the short time he'd spent with Kairi.

"Dude, chill out…" Roxas smiled slightly, "Tell me the story…"

"Well…" He was thoughtful for a moment, "She works at the place my sister got her dress…" He shook his head, "We just like… connected, right away. There was some playful banter, and I think a little flirting?"

"Ohh, little, naïve Sora, not knowing when a girl wants to get with him…" Roxas laughed, but silenced so he could listen.

"But, her mom had her doing some stuff in the store, she I couldn't grab her number… I thought that it probably wasn't anything, but a week later, we went to the Destiny Islands Festival – me, my mom, and Lav…"

A look swept over Roxas' face before he shook his head, "I've heard about that! Olette mentions it like, almost every year! She wants to go to test her luck with the papau fruit with Hayner…" He snorted and shook his head, "Lame, right?"

Sora laughed, "And Hayner still doesn't have a clue?"

"Sometime, even if Olette doesn't want me to, I'm going to tell him, and he's going to be so surprised, I'm going to take a picture and slap it in the newspaper!"

"Seifer would surely get a kick out of that, huh?" They both snickered, thinking about the police-officer in training. They had _always_ hated Seifer when he was on the committee just a few years ago, but he was slowly starting to rub off on everyone… _except_ Hayner.

"Anyways, continue with your story…"

"Yeah so… Lavender ditched because of her A.D.D. with colors, and Leon came and took my mom away too, so they could see my sister… I was stuck all by myself –"

"Poor thing!" Roxas cooed.

"- shut up so I can continue!" Sora grinned, "And so anyways, I'm about to buy a corndog –"

"Does this have anything to do with the story?"

"…"

"I'm sorry, continue…" He grinned and watched the night sky, as Sora mirrored his movements.

It reminded him of the sky he watched in Destiny Islands. His thoughts wondered back to the girl once more, and about how he watched the fire works, and their kiss in the moonlight. He almost blushed at the mere thought.

"- okay… so I was buying this corndog when I see someone who totally looks like her – you know, the hair… just crazier… She's a redhead by the way –"

"Sexy!"

"- but it turned out to be Leon's friend in high school! Axel!"

"Axel?" Roxas snorted, "That's weird! Is this chick even cute!"

"They're brother and sister, so it makes sense…" Sora nodded, "And it turns out, her and her brothers, plus this weird kid with funny hair, are all in a band. I heard her sing… Rox, she's amazing! It's like she was _born_ to sing…"

"You must be in love… I know I know you differently than people at school, but that's mushy, even for you…"

"If you heard it, you would have thought that too! It's like the girl you met at art camp during spring break!"

"Dude, she –"

"Exactly…" Sora nodded, "I finally get what you're talking about… That connection that's there right away because you both have so much in common! And you can't stop thinking about her…"

Roxas sighed sadly, "Yeah… too bad I probably won't see her again…"

Sora was silent, letting his friend fall into thought. They sat there for a while as the brunette popped open another coke. They sat in silence before Roxas looked at him.

"Continue with your story, Sora…" His eyes had softened, and his friend knew there'd be no more interruptions, now that he understood what sort of connection Sora was talking about.

"Axel and her ran into Lavender and Leon, and they directed her towards me… Then we spent the whole night together. It was probably the best night of my entire life." He pulled out his cell phone, and pulled up the sideways shot of her in the water.

He could only see about half of her face, but she was beautiful, even to Roxas, who's taste in girls was sometimes a little awkward. The fireworks seemed to explode all around her, as her shorts and fingertips lingered on the top layer of the water.

Her hair blew out from behind her, and part of one dazzling, violet eye shone to the camera, lighting up with the night sky.

"Wow Sora… she really is beautiful…"

He shut his phone and stared at it, "We kissed before we finally split for the night."

"What?" He gasped, "So did you get her number? Are you going to see her again?"

"Rox, she lives all the way in Destiny Islands…" He sighed and turned away, "She asked for my phone number, but I told her that I was leaving in a few days."

"Something could have worked!" Roxas suddenly cried out, "Do you understand what you could be missing, Sora? That's the same mistake I made!"

"What I wanted to do, was leave it to fate to see if I'd meet her again… But we came home early…"

"Sora, you shouldn't just leave those things up to fate…" He shook his head, "That was sort of a stupid idea…"

The brunette chuckled in agreement, but shook his head, "Rox, I know this is going to sound corny, but I have to ask… Do you think we got the papau fruit?"

It took everything Roxas had not to snort in laughter. Something that ridiculous was just made up, to attract people to that carnival like flies on a horse. But Sora was dead serious with his question, though he wasn't sure he should answer it.

"I don't know, Sora… I guess if the whole thing is true… maybe… But then you would have seen her again…" Roxas went through this same thing… He was probably the only one who could understand what Sora was going through right now. He wanted to help, but how? The kid hadn't gotten a number or anything.

Wait…

There was one thing…

"Sora… you remember my parents' vacation home?"

"Yeah?" Sora blinked, confused. What did that have to do with their conversation?

"Do you remember where it is?"

It took him a few moments, but slowly, a wide smile began to spread over his lips.

"Roxas, you are the best friend _ever_!"

?

**A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I can just see Roxas acting like the older one – and you'll see more about what Roxas experienced later… I know it was going fast, but that's sort of the point. I know no one cares about the rambling about his mother and college and football – at least not until later in the story ;)**

**-zesty-**


	4. So Is He a Keeper? Or Just Another Nobod

**Title: **Every Time We Meet  
><strong>Summary: <strong>A little Kairi love… and Sora and Roxas take off to start their quest. Sora meets an unlikely couple of people at a party.  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>Soriri  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T for later in the story  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.**  
>AN: **Finally, maybe a little of the story in _Kairi's_PoV… interesting :)

**Every Time We Meet, Part 1: A Summer Fling  
>Chapter 4: So is He a Keeper? Or Just Another Nobody<strong>

"Kai, can you please go to this party tonight?"

She shook her head, smiling all the while, "I told you, Selph, I can't! I have a major dance practice today… one that you _should_ be going to!"

"Kai, _nobody_ is going! She's not going to care if everybody but one shows up –"

"Selphie, we have a couple of weeks before our competition!"

"Will you come after the practice?" She changed the subject, continuing to coat her big toe in bright red nail polish.

"Band practice with Axel and the boys…"

"I swear, you're going to grow a penis one of these days!" The redhead stared at her friend in the mirror, throwing her hair into a pony tail.

"Don't deny that you'd be _allll_ over me if I did!" This time, Selphie glanced up in surprise, and the two of them cracked up.

"What if I go with you to the practice?"

"Ohhh…" She sucked in a breath, violet eyes dancing, contrasting with the girl's hopeful, emerald ones, "Tempting… But no." Her voice dropped flat at the end, and the brunette's shoulders shrugged with defeat.

"How come you've stopped partying, Girlie! Three weeks of summer have only gone by!"

"I swear, I'd go with you Selphie… Anything to get my mind off that boy! But I'm just busy!" The last part of her sentence was cut off though, by Selphie's comment, "You're should have at least gotten his number, or fucked him or something!"

"Selphie!" She glared at the girl, turning around to throw her furious gaze at her friend, "One day, you're going to find a guy that changes that opinion!"

"Um… I doubt it…" She flicked her wrist, "Guys are there for sex and sex only! Who wants a broken heart?" She shook her head, "You need to get laid!"

"I'm saving it for the right guy…" She tried to insist, though it was weak.

"And apparently, since you're so head over heels with this mystery Sora kid, you're _never_ going to find him! Just let loose, Kai! You're such a party animal when you want to be!"

She shook her head, "Nothing is going to rattle my opinion on this, Selphie… I'm going to find him again sometime, and then I'm going to rub it in your face so bad, you won't even have one anymore!"

The girl rolled her eyes, "You'll never win anyone over with those lame insults… You need to learn to be a bitch!"

"Right…" Kairi retorted, floating out of the room. There was a knock at the door.

"_I'll get it!_" She giggled as her brother yelled, all the way from the top floor of their house, basically flying down the stairs to reach the door, even though her mother was right in the kitchen.

"Reno's devotion to that girl makes me sick!" Selphie stuck a finger in her mouth and stuck out her tongue, but Kairi chucked a pillow at her.

"Be nice! Sometimes I think you're too _much_ of a bitch, Selphie!"

"Take that back!" The girl gasped, whipping the pillow back. Kairi shut the door behind her and heard a _thump_ against the wood, before opening it again.

"You missed!" She taunted, quickly shutting the door again.

"Reno! Hey!" She watched over the balcony to the front door to watch the petite blonde girl slide in. Her younger brother practically _drooled_ at the sight of her best friend in the whole world, walk in.

"Nami! Up here!" She laughed as the girl darted up the stairs, relief flooding her face.

She thought that Reno was the most adorable thing in the world, but it made her sad that she had no interest in him. So she liked to avoid the awkward situations with him, which normally meant most of the time.

"Are you ready to go soon?"

"We have a raving Selphie in my room, begging me to go to the party with her tonight…"

"We have practice though…" Naminé pointed out, pointing a finger in the direction of the exit of her house.

"_Exactly_!" That's what the redhead loved about Naminé. She was totally cool and down to earth, and had a lot of the same view points as Kairi. But when they disagreed – damn, did they disagree.

"Selphie!" The blonde immediately began to scold as she stalked down the hallway, "Why are you putting a party in front of dance _again_? Don't you think that the competition is a _little_ more important than fucking someone?"

"Definitely not my dear pet!" Axel came waltzing down the stairs from his own room, shaking his head at the girl. "Fucking is a natural course of life! Dancing, silly girl, is not!"

"Fuck off, Axel!" Kairi grinned as she said it, unable to keep a straight face. Axel grinned and ruffled her hair.

"Oh the things you have to learn, my sweet Kairi!" He laughed as he danced down the stairs, singing something to his mother in the kitchen. She yelled something, asking about the state of his mental health, but Kairi decided to ignore it after that.

"Exactly what Axel said!" Selphie grinned as she opened the door. But she was dressed in her dance clothing regardless. "Let's just go, so I can get back and get ready for the party!"

"We were ready _waaaay_ before you!" The redhead stated, darting down the stairs, the brunette chasing her.

"Wait for me!" Naminé called, running after them.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Roxas to arrange things with his parents. As unlikely as they were to admit it, they <em>loved<em> for their son to be out of their house. Out of the house, out of mind, as Roxas always joked about it. But Sora knew that it hurt his best friend that his parents would love to get rid of him. Then again, if it hadn't been for that, Sora's mom wouldn't have been able to basically adopt Roxas, so it all turned out okay in the end.

He was given the key to their vacation home, and access to the car that they stowed in the garage there. And Roxas gloated about how it was on the beach, and he was going to be there _all the time_ while Sora searched for this mystery girl.

But to Sora – he was going to be having just as much fun as his blonde friend. One, he didn't burn as easily outside, and he _definitely_ was more social, making it easier to find friends. Of course, he wouldn't argue that Roxas had much more charm, but Sora was sweet, earning him points as well. He wasn't going to search for Kairi, just… try to be in the same places he thought she'd be.

Unfortunately, this would only be his third time to Destiny Islands – the one he had gotten back from just under a week ago, he didn't count, considering it was so short. He went with Roxas over Christmas break – another time his parents allowed them to go it alone, while they traveled to Traverse Town, or something of the sort.

He would have no idea where to go to help his cause…

Roxas had sprung it on both Sora's mother, and his parents, that they wanted to celebrate for making it on the team, before their hard, training-filled summer really began. And both sets of parents agreed (though for completely different reasons), and their train tickets were bought soon after.

The blonde settled into his seat, putting in his ear phones, and delving into the music. Sora watched him with jealousy. He knew Roxas would be sleeping in a matter of minutes, and he envied the fact he could sleep with pounding music in his ears, while Sora had to sleep, occasionally waking up from the noises out in the hall.

The brunette flopped down on the seat, ready to get this vacation started. The sooner it happened, the sooner they could get back… Though tactfully, Roxas didn't tell his parents when they were coming back… so technically – they could stay there until football started in August…

Sora groaned inwardly, wondering if this would be the case. He needed to train for football. But then he thought maybe he could just email things to his friends to practice, and set up the second-string quarterback to help them out… It was a possibility, but finding this girl was much more important at the moment.

* * *

><p>"Why can't everyone just dance like you?" Naminé sighed dreamily, watching the tape the Linda, their dance instructor, had video recorded for them.<p>

"Well they could, with a little practice…" Linda noted grumpily.

"You're lucky you didn't skip, Selph," Kairi whispered to her friend, "Nobody else did…"

The girl breathed out a sigh, "Thank goodness I have you to watch out for me!" She winked a big emerald eye, and went back to watching them.

"Ohhh! That part looks _amazing_!" One girl squealed, "That's definitely going to be the show stopper!"

"I think Kairi's solo is what's going to get everyone!" Naminé praised, never taking her eyes off the screen.

"You really think so?" Kairi looked thoughtful for a moment, "I think it's going to be the flip that Natalie, Yuffie, and Selphie do, when Naminé, Rhiley, and I roll on the ground! That's going to look _so_ cool!"

"If we ever get it _down_!" Selphie whined grumpily.

"You girls have a lot of talent… You'll get there within two weeks… I have faith!" Everyone stopped to smile. Linda hardly ever handed out praise, so this was one for the record books.

Selphie suddenly checked her watch and gasped, "I have to go! I'll be late for my big entrance!" She cried out, jumping up and snatching her bag.

She was out the door in record time as everyone blinked at her, "Well good-bye to you too…" Kairi mumbled, shaking her head. She had thought, maybe she wanted to go to this party after all… But now that the girl was gone, there was no turning back. "Want to have a movie and popcorn night, Nam?"

"Hell yes!" She jumped up, smiling a big, innocent smile, "Can we _please_ get chocolate ice cream!"

"How do you stay so thin, Naminé?" Yuffie asked, envy hidden in her tone, "You're so pretty!"

Kairi laughed and waved a hand in front of her face, "She's definitely got an appetite… But I think she burns the calories running her mouth during the movies!" All the girls laughed as one by one, they decided to leave.

Kairi was last, as usual, as Naminé waited outside in the sun, talking to Rhiley about their big roll later in the routine. "Can I talk to you for a sec, Kairi?"

"Sure!" She gleamed at her inspiration – her dance instructor – at Linda, "What's up?"

She handed the girl a letter and smiled, "This came to the academy for you…" The redhead glanced down at the envelope, and saw that it was from a college.

"Huh?" She was confused as she poked her finger in the side, creating a slit at the top. She pulled out the letter.

It was from High Land University, and it read something along the lines of we wish you'd come to our dance/cheer program, and we're considering a scholarship for you, and everything.

Kairi's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "High Land University? The major athletic school in Radiant Garden?" Shock washed over her, "Wow! They want me for their – what was it… Oh…" Her face dropped, "Dance and cheer squad…" She shook her head, "So it wouldn't be all dancing…"

Linda chewed her lip, "Ohh… Sorry Kai… Shoot – better luck with the next one?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "Maybe…" She turned, but then called over her shoulder, "Why does every school want me for cheer, Linda?"

"Maybe it's just your destiny to give some of your spirit to the morale of a football team or something…" She shrugged, "Who knows?"

"I hope a school offers me a place to _dance_ sometime! Radiant Garden has a top dance academy…"

"You have a whole year left, Kai, I bet you'll get one soon!"

She turned all the way back around, and a fond expression crossed her face, "Thank you very much, Linda!" Then she ran out, to see Naminé leaning against the tree with her water bottle.

"Want to hit the beach?"

The girls got into this wonderful habit of wearing their swimming suits under their dance clothes, instead of a bra and panties. Sometimes, it sucked, as a sports bra would have been the better choice, but most of the time, they cheered themselves on for hitting up the bathing suits, as the building was right on the beach, and they always wanted to take a quick dunk in the refreshing water, after a hot practice.

"Definitely!" Kairi grinned and they stripped their dance T-shirts, before walking down the path towards the ocean.

"So… do you think you'll find this boy again, or forget about him?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, Nam… What did you think when you met that boy at art camp?"

She sighed, stopping and leaning against a pole, "I still think about him _almost_ every day… Where he is, and what he's doing… I bet he moved on a _long_ time ago!"

"You know, you guys had an art camp only last year… who knows?"

She sighed, "He was so adorable and amazing though – I know for a fact he's not going to be around anymore…"

"You must really be holding on to it –" when the blonde shot her a look, she put her hands up defensively, "- which isn't a bad thing of course! But you haven't been with anyone else… Do you think that's going to be both of us until we find them?"

"It all depends on what you feel, Kai…" She shook her head and sighed for the umpteenth time that day, it seemed, "We spent two weeks together, and I swear I fell in love… I thought he did too, but there was no effort to contact me at all…"

"You guys forgot to exchange anything though, didn't you?"

She shrugged, "I guess it's like you and that boy… Leaving it all up to fate…" She watched the clouds for a moment before shaking her head, and letting a grin grace her features again, "Let's hit the water!"

They both giggled, trying their best to push the subject out of mind as they rushed into the rolling waves of the beach.

Salt water washed over Kairi as she ducked under, feeling the cool liquid all around her. Nothing could refresh her more than the water, singing, and dancing. This was exactly what she needed right now, as she popped back up.

Naminé had been less brave, and meekly walked further into the water. Kairi bobbed back under, opening her eyes for a moment to see where she was, and tackled Naminé by her petite legs. She heard the girl yelp as she collapsed into the water, and when they both came up, they were laughing.

"You're such a brat!" She cried at her best friend, who stuck her tongue out. Kairi was so busy taunting, she missed the girl's lunge, and they both fell into the water again, laughing.

Though she wasn't sure what would happen in the future, she was alright with the support she had now.

* * *

><p>"Roxas!" Sora hissed, "We're here!"<p>

When there was no answer, the brunette chucked his tennis shoe at his friend's face, "_Roxas!_"

"Hn?" He questioned, as though his face wasn't just smacked by a shoe, as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He had sprawled out on the cushion, and quite frankly, Sora was surprised he hadn't fallen on the floor.

As expected, Roxas passed out, and Sora awoke only a quarter through the ride, due to the noises outside their cubicle.

"Are we here?" He yawned, mouth opening wide.

Sora suddenly had the urge to shove his entire fist into the boy's mouth. He could be so obnoxious sometimes.

"Yes, we're here… Could you _please_ get a grip!"

"Oh yeah, sure…" Roxas mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "You know, you should be a little more thankful –"

"You aren't holding that over me the whole summer!"

"Who pissed in your Cheerios on the ride here, huh?" The blonde's eyes narrowed into slits, "Chill out, man!"

"Your fucking phone kept going off the whole ride!" Sora retorted, irritated.

"Oh…" Roxas dumbly replied, flipping open his phone. He read the multiple text messages, most concerning his DI friends, and how they were so excited that he was coming back. "Sor… You've gotta listen to this!"

"_No_." He answered, bewildered at the blonde's sudden amnesia of their argument.

"A party tonight man, pleeease can we go!" He bugged, looking up with big, blue eyes.

Sora sighed, "Who's party?"

"Seifer Almsy! We just had a conversation about him the other day! You're in luck, he's here to visit his friend… Axes? Axeeeze, or something weird like that –"

"Axel?"

"Yeah! That's the name! They're throwing this huge bash tonight and they want us to come."

Hope seemed to flitter in Sora's chest, and his bad mood suddenly washed out from his body. "Great! Let's go!"

The blonde _almost_ mumbled something about how he must be bipolar, but decided against it as their train came to a rough stop. "Let's get out of here, I'm getting claustrophobic!" The two made a beeline for the exit, cutting off a couple other people in the train.

Sora couldn't wait to get to this party… It was one step away from the girl he couldn't stop thinking about. He was determined to find her tonight – no matter what…

* * *

><p>"We're lost… End of story…"<p>

"How are we _lost_ exactly?" Sora asked, glancing out the window, only to meet darkness flooded with dim moonlight. Like that would help them locate this house any better.

"Well it's easy… We're in a neighborhood with fucking _huge_ houses, and I just can't seem to find any traces of a party while I'm trying not to hit the people crossing the street…"

"Well…" Sora scratched his head, "Why not?"

"…" Roxas had no answer to that, as he continued driving, turning onto a random street. "Hey! That house looks like the description!"

"So does every house on the block…"

"Look at all the cars though! This must be it!"

Roxas pulled up to the curb before Sora could disagree. That's mostly what their night had consisted of. Sora was being edgy due to this girl, and Roxas was finally realizing that's exactly how he had acted last spring. He wondered how the brunette had stayed friends with him through the whole traumatic experience.

They jogged up to the door, and knocked, some blonde kid with a cigar answering the door. It looked _strikingly_ like the one who was in the band when Sora had first spotted her and her family at the festival, but he couldn't be sure.

"Who're you?" He slurred with a grin.

"I'm Roxas –"

"_Seifer!_" He suddenly screamed, moseying away from the door. "What dumb fuck did you invite?" But he let them in anyways, wandering off into the throngs of people.

"This is a _house_ party?" Sora murmured, eyebrows knit together in frustration, "It looks more like a fucking club!"

"Get used to it…" Roxas nudged him and grinned, "Let's just have fun tonight, okay? It'll loosen you up for your search!"

The brunette constantly had to keep reminding himself that this was only Kairi's brother helping host the party. He had no idea if she'd be a party animal or not… He also had to keep reminding himself that he would leave it up to fate if they were to meet again…

Hopefully that fate would hurry up!

He was pulled into the party where a few girls were already taken an immediate liking to him. "Hey!" One girl winked at him, soft, chocolate eyes sparkling. He assumed she'd been drinking as she lazily drooped one arm over his shoulders.

Though her breath wreaked of vodka, her hair smelt like the forest, and he turned to her fully to get a look at her. She was just a little taller than him, a muscular build and short, choppy black hair. Her movements were bubbly, and she had a cute smile… But it definitely wasn't the girl he was looking for.

She was the same height as him, the same bubbling movements and cute smile, but a challenging sort of cute. She was petite, but strong, with beautiful crimson hair and the most stunning eyes ever… That's all he wanted right now.

"Want a drink?" She questioned, handing him a large cup of something he wasn't sure what it was. Glancing over, he saw Roxas conversing with some girl, a drink already present in his hand.

When for sure, the brunette saw him tack a swig, he figured it was safe, or at least they'd both get alcohol poisoning together, and took a shy sip. The girl giggled at him, "I'm Yuffie, by the way!"

"Sora," He offered, shaking her hand. But it seemed the girl didn't want to let go.

"Want to dance?" She raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged. What could a little innocent dancing do? "Come on! I'll take you to the killer floor downstairs! There's a dancer in this house, see – so her basement is basically a studio!

He blinked in surprise as he moved down the steps with this mystery girl. All he could think about was that redhead as he moved with this Yuffie character.

As they proceeded down the stairs, he saw something catch his eye. A bubbly laughter, and a flash of red… It couldn't be…

On the last step, for only a moment, he saw in the middle of the crowd… There was Kairi – or at least someone who looked almost exactly like her, dancing with a guy whose blonde hair seemed plastered to his face. She was working him hard, and it was apparent he wasn't used to having a dance partner that talented.

But Yuffie quickly yanked him away, even before the girl had a chance to see him, dumbfounded on the steps. Now he instantly regretted taking the hand of the raven haired teen, because all he wanted to do, was get over to that circle.

He glanced down at the tight, drunken grip on his hands… Well he knew that definitely wasn't a possibility at the moment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I feel like that might have seemed a little random… But I swear, it's not! That guy is Seifer btw, because I'll probably forget who I was talking about, I might as well say it now. Don't worry, it's all in good fun – she knows him so it's okay!**

**Yuffie… ugh Yuffie… You will find I have a definite hate between Yuffie/Sora, and will most likely make her out to be a bitch… You've had your warnings :)**

**I hope you enjoyed!**


	5. If You Could Dance Your Life Away

**Title: **Every Time We Meet  
><strong>Summary: <strong>One chance meeting, and a little papau fruit, will intertwine Sora and Kairi's fates for the rest of their lives, no matter how far apart they drift.  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>Soriri  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T for later in the story  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN: **This is the most I've written in a really long time haha. I hope it's turning out okay!

**Every Time We Meet, Part 1: A Summer Fling  
>Chapter 5: If You Could Dance Your Life Away<strong>

Soon the song ended, and she found Seifer holding her to the ground. Her hair swooshed on the floor underneath her, and her and his breath mingled with his face so close. As they held their finishing pose, the two of them burst into laughter, only it was drowned out by the cheering, and beginning of the next song.

"You never get old to dance with!" Seifer exclaimed with a wink.

"You're going to be _so_ jealous at your wedding when your wife can't dance as awesomely as me!"

That earned another chortle from him as he looked around, "It seems Axel wasn't impressed and wandered away… Maybe I should go find him?"

"What? Can't keep up?" She laughed and raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips.

"_Kairi!_" Naminé's voice was louder than she'd ever heard it in her entire life. All eyes pointed at her, as the blonde shoved through the crowd. "_Kairi!_ Oh my god, there you are! I've been trying to find you, dammit!"

The redhead grinned at her hyperventilating friend. "What can I help you with, Nam?"

"I found _him_!"

"What him…?" She inquired slowly, though from the glimmer of sheer hope in her friend's eyes, something told her it was her dream hubby from the past.

"_Roxas!_" She breathed with a smile. The girl squealed and dismissed herself from Seifer. As Naminé hastily pulled her away, she called back to the blonde about dancing later – and wished him luck on his journey to find her brother.

She was dragged up the stairs, much to her dismay, and the girl barely gave her a moment to breath. But she knew Naminé was excited… she knew house parties had to be good for something. Which is why her mom let Axel throw it… and not her father…

Yes – the gigantic house they were in was her home… Reno, unfortunately, was forced by Molly to go with, the woman all to knowing of what her other three children were going to do… So that left Alex, Kairi, and Axel in charge of the house. What a mistake that was…

Though Molly knew her kids (at least Alex) would clean it up before Andrew and Reno had a hissy fit, knowing what they had missed (for completely opposite reasons). Seifer was in town, and that's mainly why she had let them do it in the first place. He was the first friend of the family, Axel being the oldest by four years, and basically like another son to her.

But that was pretty off subject as the sight of what used to be her living room, came into view. There, standing and talking to a boy from their school, was the one in all of the pictures, memories, and stories told by Naminé. His blonde hair stuck at a perfect, gravity-defying spike (much like Sora's), sapphire eyes piercing, but soft, and his laugh floating across the room in such a captivating way… Yes – this was definitely the guy that Naminé described to her.

"What are you waiting for?" She breathed into Naminé's ear, giving her a small push forward, "_Go_…"

"But I can't! What if he doesn't remember me? Or what if he doesn't like me anymore? What if I just had the wrong impressions in the first place?" She had always known Naminé to be a confident girl… Now was not one of those times. Instead of letting her finish her rant, Kairi shoved her forward, causing her to hit a table.

The innocent vase, which was perched on top, made contact with the ground rather loudly, and almost every eye in the room was on her. Her face blared red, but the redhead watched the blonde closely for any recognition.

Immediately, his jaw slackened, and his eyes got big. Later in life, she would _laugh_ at that expression until her sides hurt. Right now, she simply smiled.

She watched as he approached her, and her face, if possible, grew even more red. She wished she could hear what was going on, but understood that this was a private conversation, and she'd get _just_ short of the recorded version later anyways.

She leaned against her counter, grining ear to ear. She could no longer see her best friend's face, but from the look on his, they were delighted, if not completely shocked, to see each other.

?

Sora finally got away from that girl. He thought she had a death grip _before_! Man, throw another shot of whiskey (or whatever that weird kid had come around with that she had apparently known quite well) in her, and she was _beyond_ tolerable. She seemed sweet, just not when she was drinking.

Shuttering, he jumped up the stairs two at a time, but halted almost immediately. There was Roxas, and the girl from all of the pictures and stories. He guessed it could only be Naminé, and he shook his head. He couldn't believe what was going on: the kid had finally found the girl he'd been waiting on… and here of all places! If by some awkward chance they were both staying somewhere relatively close to each other, Sora guessed Roxas would be spending most of his time away…

But that wasn't the only thing that Sora spotted when he hopped up the stairs. It seemed that every sound around him melted away, and the only thing he saw was the girl he'd laid eyes on when he first went down the stairs.

The first thing that came into his mind was that him and Yuffie didn't dance. It seemed like such an odd first thought, staring at the girl you'd ventured _back_ to Destiny Islands to find… But then again, after he'd seen Kairi dance with Seifer, having Yuffie rub up against him didn't count as dancing at all.

Then he realized exactly how he would approach her, and sucked in a step as he moved forward.

?

Kairi picked up her drink off the counter, watching for the last few moments of an intimate moment as Roxas clasped Naminé's hand, and they hugged. Roxas' eyes flickered to her in confusion for a moment, then behind her with a smirk, but she blew it off… It was likely he'd probably had something to drink too.

But before she could glance over her shoulder _just to be sure_, a voice rang out that made her heart stop in her throat.

"Kai, would you like to dance?"

She whipped around (once she had gotten over the initial shock, that took a good thirty seconds), and watched in complete awe as the brunette stuffed his hands in his pockets. He was trying to look cool, and would have succeeded if his eyes didn't betray him. He was searching her being for recognition, and there was a hunger in them she couldn't quite pin.

Suddenly, a grin broke out on her face as she walked closer, "I didn't think I'd see you again…"

"I guess it's fate, huh?" He smiled too and held out his hand.

She blinked and stared at it for only a moment. She had said if they met again, they were destined to be more than just a one-night fling. She took it with no further hesitation, and he pulled her back down the stairs, hoping that something amazing might come out of this second night he had with her.

?

The strobe lights in her basement were honestly, the coolest thing he'd ever seen. He guessed that Axel had installed them for parties like this one, but that thought slipped his mind pretty quickly once he saw Kairi start to dance. At first, it was only fun, and then it moved into dancing _with_ Sora.

Luckily, he was decent at dancing. Not too dirty, but definitely not lame either. Someone came by with a handful of beers, and she quickly took two, throwing one to him. Some sloshed out in the air, but other than that, their drinking night began.

She asked him questions every so often when they danced, about things he knew she wouldn't remember in the morning, and vise versa… It didn't matter how they got to know each other tonight, because they would just end up having to do it all over again. So after a while, they stopped talking and just enjoyed the music.

Swear beaded under his bangs as his hair fell into his eyes. He was getting tired, and his vision swam. People were above, below, and on every side of him as Kairi dizzily lead him to a couch. Many others were there, chatting and animatedly touching others, but it was all a bit swimmy. The only thing he could see was her, and that she was in front of him now, and he wasn't sure how much time they had.

He clasped her hand, as though in fear that she would simply fade away, and that led into a kiss. It was tender, as it had been on the beach, but with alcohol wishing for chaos to arise out of all of them, it turned into a lingering thirst both of them wanted to quench. The kiss became a make out, and to that, they drank more, until neither could fully remember how they met again.

Sometime during the dancing and the touching, kissing and laughing, they tromped upstairs, past the people still at the peak of their partying, and those already down at the bottom, passed out on the floor. As they stumbled up the stairs, the crowds thinned out, and she pulled him into a plain little room, where they laid on the bed, and continued their laughing and kissing.

But after the alcohol from their latest container was gone, they settled into the sheets and fiddled with mindless conversation, before Kairi was swept into slumber, her head resting on his chest. Sleep took him soon after, and even though they wouldn't remember their night together, he was sure it was perfect.

?

In all honesty, all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing. He held it for a moment, hoping the noise would subside and he could rest peaceful, if only for a few seconds. But the noise didn't stop, and that caused his eyes to flutter open in irritation.

But what he saw before him shocked him. He was laying on his back, shirt off, the covers wound around him awkwardly, and a girl laying on his chest. Her long lashes swept over her tanned cheeks, her hair cascading around her like an angel.

A small little smile graced her pink lips, and her long slender fingers dusted over his skin every so often. She was sleeping…

In a panic, he tried to remember the night before. Kicking around softly, he found he was still clothed, and after maneuvering his head the right way, he saw that she had all of her clothing on as well.

A big sigh escaped his mouth as he scooted out from underneath her. Nothing broke her slumber as he laid her gently on the bed and sat up. He was in a plain looking room with blue walls and floral bedspread, a couple of pictures here and there, and an oak dresser and matching desk.

The closet was empty, save for a few things, but the floor was littered with last night's party.

_Party…_ He breathed out the words. What had happened?

Standing and stretching, he searched for his shirt, but to no avail. Glancing back at the girl, she rolled over and whispered something, caught in the silent air before it could reach his ears. Sneaking back over, he pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, and she sighed contently.

Pulling open the door, he cautiously stepped into the hallway. It didn't seem so bad… There were only a few random drinks here and there, and as he peaked into other rooms, he saw other sleeping people – some couples, others friends, and some didn't even make it to the bed.

So the party hadn't been as big as he thought it was… Jogging down the stairs (though skillfully quiet), he almost choked on his own breath. The hallway was a _mess_. There were people covered in paint, glitter littered the hallway, and trash seemed stuck everywhere.

A strange odor emitted from one of the rooms, and when he tried the doors, he found a few of them locked.

Searching around, he found a bathroom, the redhead known as Axel sleeping in his boxers, a auburn haired girl sprawled out on top of him… in the bathroom… How dangerous… Sora dashed in and caught the drink that was just about to fall from the counter, just so they didn't wake up.

Rubbing his eyes, he straightened and looked in the mirror, seeing his wild hair, and a small bruise on his neck. A deep blush spread across his face at the thought, and he slapped a hand over it, just to pretend it wasn't there. Deciding it wasn't the best time to look at himself, he meandered down another flight of stairs.

This story, he was certain, had to be the worst. People were everywhere, piled on top of each other like they were dead, and drinks littering every surface they could find. Confetti and food were slapped around in the mix, and there was a bowl of half eaten salsa on the counter. Sora glanced at it, seeing the strange things inside floating around, and decided _not_ to have a taste.

Did he dare go down to the basement? It turned out, he didn't need to. Someone was waking up in the living room.

It was the blonde who had opened the door for them last night. His eyes seemed fully alert, though he groaned with a creeping hangover. "What the fu –" he stopped when he saw Sora, "are we the only ones awake?" He asked.

Sora flinched at the sound. It seemed either the kid was talking _way_ too loud, or he was experiencing his own type of hangover. "I think we're the only ones…" He whispered back sharply.

"Shit…" The blonde learned to whisper as well as he poked at the girl on the couch. He recognized it to be Naminé, Roxas sleeping not too far away from her. "I hope our front yard looks better than this…"

The brunette chuckled and glanced at him, "I don't think I got a chance to introduce myself last night… Sora!" He called across the room in a loud whisper.

"Alex!" He nodded, and let on a grin. "You're that kid that Kai hung out with at the festival!"

"The one and only!" He laughed, puffing out his chest just a little.

"Well, since you're great friends with her, could you tell me where she is?" He glanced down at Sora's bare chest, and back up to his face, raising an eyebrow. More heat rose to his face, but he turned away.

"Sleeping upstairs," He mumbled.

"You want to help me start to clean? Or get her awake?"

He flinched at the thought of an angry, hungover woman being woken up, "I'll help…"

"Cool! Garbage bags are under the sink… Just focus on getting all of the garbage and alcohol in the bags…"

"You're throwing it away?"

"It's all probably tainted with the STD's of these people…" The kid nodded, though it made Sora laugh. He had never heard such a pessimistic viewpoint to anything before.

Nevertheless, the brunette helped slowly pick up the kitchen. Luckily, the hosts were smart enough to throw all food into disposable containers – a quick clean up. But he found that his garbage bag filled fast, and he had to start another one even before he got out of the kitchen.

As they cleaned, more and more people began to wake. Naminé jumped up, asking what time it was, and letting Alex make a few jokes at her. They must have known each other or something.

"I hope you can get this cleaned up before your parents get home, Alex…" She grinned cheekily at him, snatching up a bag.

He paled, "Dad would be _so_ pissed!"

Sora stopped, dumbfounded for a moment, "Wait… you _live_ here?"

"Didn't you know that?"

"Roxas was the one who invited me to the party…"

It was Naminé's turn to be surprised, "You know Roxas?"

"We're best friends," Sora confirmed with a grin, "We came to Destiny Islands together."

A deep blush showed on her face, "Oh my gosh…" She shook her head, "What a coincidence… I'm Kairi's best friend," She giggled, "Small world, huh?"

"I guess!" He laughed.

They talked among the people slowly waking up. Some asked Alex if they could leave right away, and others tried to help clean their messes up in still-drunken ways.

So Kairi lived in this gigantic house. It was crazy to think, "Say… if you don't mind me asking, what do your guys' parents do?"

Alex laughed, as though he was expecting it sometime, "My dad is a cop, and my mom owns a bridal shop… Though you should have known that, right?" He teased.

"Oh… right… oops?" He smiled.

"My grandparents fell in love with Andrew though, when they first met him, and threw in some extra money for the family in their will… Plus, Andrew's real good at the stock market game… ya know?"

Sora blinked, surprised. These were precious things he was learning about Kairi, that he didn't even have to ask about. "Who's Andrew?"

"My dad," Alex laughed, though rolled his eyes and continued picking up. It seemed he would say no more on the subjects at hand.

"You're in a pretty good mood today, Alex…" Naminé teased, a spark in her own azure eyes, "I mean, I only ever see you friendly to people _after_ you've been drinking… Not even when the alcohol is in your system, fancy that!"

He cut in with a muttering "fuck off" as she finished, though a giggle escaped her lips anyways.

It wasn't long after that Roxas himself stirred, and groaned as he rolled off the couch. The collapse cause the trio to look up, and Naminé bounded over to him. Sora saw, with his ever watchful eye, as the girl tackled him, that there was the undenying love between them, even after a year of separation that spawned only after two weeks.

It was strange how things worked like that, but the brunette knew he'd never figure them out. It only reminded him of perhaps what might happen with the girl he had found, and how ironic and unlikely it was.

He rolled his eyes. He was thinking like a poet, and that made him laugh. How stupid to think of things like that, when he had only truly met the girl just over two weeks ago.

But there was that sudden two week mark, sneaking up on him again. Could they already be in love, and just not know it yet?

He glanced around the house, wondering, then scoffing, "Nah…" He muttered to himself with a grin.

More and more people began to arise, and more trash was slowly picked up. Sora found it easier then to disappear up the stairs, to retreat into that pale blue room to see if Kairi had woken up yet.

He skipped steps as he ran, delighted to see the girl. It was unhealthy, this obsession that seemed to have developed over night, but he ignored it. The girl was here now, and he was going to make it last…

Poking his head through the door, he saw her stretched out on the bed, toes and fingers curling to get the full length of her stretch, a wide smile on her face. "Good morning!" She seemed to breathe.

He moved closer to her, "Hey…"

Her smile turned to a smirk, "Where's your shirt?" Though she asked, he knew she was getting an eyeful of something she enjoyed. Her eyes were no longer glued to his face.

He chuckled and shook his head, "Not a clue…"

She shrugged, sitting up and shaking her wild hair from her face. It fell around her in soft waves, reaching well down her back, and below her breasts. Though she just woke up, her hair still looked beautiful.

"Wanna go to the beach?" She questioned out of the blue, stretching on more time.

"Beach?" He parroted, tilting his head.

"You know, that place with sand and this big thing called the ocean… Like a pool, but cooler…"

He laughed, "I know what a beach is… Could we go? Or should we stay and help clean up?"

"It was Axel's party, he'll do it…!"

"You live here…" He confirmed. She laughed.

"I thought you knew that when you came?"

"Roxas wanted me to come to this party…" He jerked a thumb, "the boy that Naminé –"

"I know… I've heard plenty about him… Small world, huh?" She folded her legs under her and grabbed her ankles, rocking back and forth with a smile. "So do you want to?"

He shrugged, "Why not!" Standing from the bed, she pulled the key from around her neck and beckoned him to follow her.

Jumping down the stairs, she landed lightly on the balls of her feet, and padded across the soft carpet. He followed close behind, watching as Axel stumbled out of the bathroom with a grin, the girl clawing at his abdomen from behind to get him back in there. He turned his head away quickly, to make sure he didn't see something he didn't need to.

She stopped at one of the closed doors, and inserted the key in the lock. When he tilted his head, she giggled and pushed it open.

Loud colors, showing a bright personality (like Kairi herself) met his eyes when he peered inside. "Wow…"

His room back home was flooded with messy clothes, music and football. Her room was neat, though a few things were draped over multiple pieces of furniture in the room. It was quite a bit bigger than his own, with two windows on either side of her bed. Her frame was light wood, and the bedspread was splashed with pink, purple, blue, green, and orange. Chinese lanterns hung above it, along with what looked like cotton on an invisible thread.

_Clouds_ he thought cleverly, when he spotted an origami bird hanging not too far away. On the walls were bulletin boards and creative boards that were scattered with pictures of family, friends, and scenery. Then, there were band posters, and a guitar on one side of the room, what looked like a closet door, and then another door on the other side of the room. A full length mirror and desk/vanity met him as well, along with a long cushioned chest at the foot of her bed.

It was spacious, and positively inviting – something he already loved. A lava lamp was still lazily going on her desk, a bookshelf had a glitter lamp on it, and a tall lamp in the corner of the room glowed multiple different colors. Pink curtains held the light (kind of) out of her room, and a shaggy rug made her floor even more comfortable.

"This is where I live!" She joked, opening the closet door and stepping inside.

His eyes bulged further when he peered into _that_ room. _That_ closet was the size of his room, filled with a huge assortment of clothes, and a part of it being storage. Shoes and a medium sized, round chair with no back or arms also took up a small amount of space too.

She went to one section of the closet and pulled open a drawer, pulling out a few things: shorts, a neon halter top, and a two piece yellow swim suit. "I'll give you one of Alex's suits… You guys are probably the same size!"

She ran down the stairs, and called out to Naminé, saying they were going to the beach and that she'd grab Roxas a suit. The girl chimed back, asking to borrow her white and pink suit – whatever that meant. The girl giggled and gave her a thumbs up, before running up the stairs.

She pushed open the door to Alex's room and moved towards the closet – not as big, but still decent. "We normally lock our doors, or at least shut them during parties, because we don't want anyone going in there to do anything naughty…" She winked, and when Sora didn't answer due to his astonishment at room sizes, she shook her head. "Mom gave me a pretty nice closet, since I'm the only girl in the family. She said nobody else would ever understand, but I think she just said so because I'm her favorite child!"

"Hardly!" Alex snorted from the door, shoving past her.

"Well good morning to you too," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Sora and Roxas need some trunks…"

"I'm getting them – I don't want you in the closet!"

She grinned, "Did you hide Victoria in there, or something?" He meeped and hid his face.

"Victoria?" Sora questioned, "Who's she?"

"No one!" He tried convincing, but Kairi shook her head.

"She's been Alex's best friend and big time crush since he was in first grade… I think they're going to get married some day, but I guess that's just me. She's constantly over here, I'm surprised she wasn't here last night…"

"She went to Spira for the week, remember?"

"Ohh, out of country traveler!" She teased as he chucked the trunks at her, "You better hope you're as rich as Dad when you're older! She's got expensive taste! Start saving for the ring!"

His face, by now, was as red as a tomato, and he shooed both of them out. Kairi chuckled and grabbed a tote bag from her room, shoving a random assortment of things inside. "I'm going to change… You can do so too."

He turned to leave towards the bathroom, but she yanked his hair and he yelped, wheeling backwards. "_What was that for?"_

She pointed to her bathroom, "I'll go in there, and you can change in my room. I'm sure Axel is still in there with his girlfriend…" She snickered and turned away, shutting the door after her.

He chuckled and quickly switched his jeans and boxers for the shorts. They fit him almost perfectly, and he caught himself admiring what he looked like in Kairi's full length mirror. But then, he found he'd rather know more about her, and dashed to her wall, wishing to snoop – just a little!

Sora made sure to get a good look at all the pictures. Her in the band – a lot of her and Naminé, and many of her and her brothers all the way from when they were toddlers and babies to now. There were plenty of them with her parents – on vacation, on the beach, malls, schools – everything.

One caught his eye in particular though… It was a group picture, the girls in elegant dresses and the boys in tuxes. He recognized Naminé, smiling brightly, the hands of a dirty blonde on her waist – but it didn't look like anything serious. There was a brown haired girl next to her, and he recognized Kairi on the other side.

He almost choked on what he saw. The one they'd run into at the festival, silver hair ominously covering parts of his face, aquamarine eyes shining deviously, was standing, his head on her shoulder, hands on her waist. Her own hands seemed to interlace with his, and her violet eyes shone with happiness and love. Riku…

"What the fuck?" He mumbled, carefully getting closer to look. There were a few more people in the picture – the raven haired girl from last night, and a redhead as well… How awkward… Why did she show such distaste in Riku the other day then?

He unpinned the picture and glanced at the back. It said Prom, 2011, and named off everyone in the picture. He flipped it to see who was who.

The black haired girl was Yuffie, then Monica, then came Selphie, Naminé, and Kairi. In the back row there was a Jaxon, Axel, Tidus, (he knew that name from football as well) and Riku with a heart next to it. _His_ heart almost just dropped.

Had they dated?

**?**

**A/N: Wow, what a long chapter… sorry! I hope you liked it! I'm very excited to keep writing! Yay!**


	6. Whole Lot of You

**Title: **Every Time We Meet  
><strong>Summary: <strong>One chance meeting, and a little papau fruit, will intertwine Sora and Kairi's fates for the rest of their lives, no matter how far apart they drift.  
><strong>Pairing: <strong>Soriri  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T for later in the story  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN: **Enjoy the fluff while you can!  
><strong>Important Note: <strong>Something that can't fit into the story but will be explained here… I know that Sora and Kairi are like getting way to serious way too fast, at least that's how it seems. It's been three weeks since they met, and it's so contradicting because 1) it always is, isn't it, when you meet someone you really think you might love, but aren't sure, and 2) it's the papau fruit at work here… okay? :) blame the fruit!

**Every Time We Meet, Part 1: A Summer Fling  
>Chapter 6: Whole Lot of You<strong>

He decided not to bring anything up – at least not now… This was going to be the first time since the festival that he's _really_ gotten to spend time with specifically her, and he didn't want to ruin it by bringing up that Riku creep.

It would be a more serious topic for a different day, and he was completely okay with that.

They were now laughing and running down the street, playful banter shooting from Roxas to Sora to Kairi to Naminé, back to Sora, then to Roxas, and somehow all of them ganged up on the brunette.

He pouted for a moment, crossing his arms and jutting out his lower lip to gain pity. Roxas snorted and mumbled something about how Sora was far more childish, so of course it would work for him. Naminé laughed and patted him on the back, and Kairi just mimicked him.

"You were wrong, Roxas, it didn't work!" He whined.

"Oh suck it up, kid… It's not the end of the world!" Kairi stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow and snatched her bag from her, "What if I dropped your bag into the ocean?! Would that be the end of the world?"

She yelped and charged after him, and soon it turned into a game of chase. Sora thought this would be a breeze, but shock overtook him when she pounced on his back.

Quickly, she balanced herself out and leaned forward over his shoulder, trying to snatch her bag. She had surprisingly good balance, and it was Sora who faltered and tripped, both of them flying and falling into the grass. She tackled him again quickly and they were fighting on the ground for the cell phone now, it seemed more than anything.

"Sora! You give that back!" She demanded.

"Who says I have to?!" She glared and pressed her palm on his face to reach above his head to grab it. He flipped her and pinned her hands above her head, and stared at her.

Glaring, she tried to squirm her way out of the position, but froze, paralyzed to the spot when he kissed her. It was so quick, she wasn't even sure if it happened, but there he was with a small smirk on his face, and a light blush.

Roxas wolf whistled at him from not that far off, but the two ignored him.

She blinked and tentatively kissed him again, wrapping her hand around his arm gently. He seemed to melt into her touch, not realizing just how perfect this moment was.

Until of course, Kairi flipped him off of her, and grabbed her cell phone, snatched up her bag, and set off racing. He yelled and jumped up, trying to run after her. She passed the two blondes in a whiz, laughing and taunting him.

He only shook his head, and, too tired to continue, fell in step with the other two in the group.

They watched her energy blare off of her as she did cartwheels in the sand. He watched with admiration – the girl was so free… There was nothing holding her down at all, but Sora wondered for a moment if that was always going to be a good thing. Would she ever settle down and make a choice? Had she already made it?

Again, there was a pain that showed that Sora didn't know a thing about the girl… Their romance was based off of one night. Could it even be a romance? He couldn't stop thinking about her, and yet these thoughts were there _all the time_. Were they rushing? Did it matter?

_A summer fling…_ He finally decided, and smiled lopsided. He liked that.

She dropped her things and flung herself into the ocean, and soon Roxas couldn't resist, bolting after her. He jumped into the water, belly flopping almost on top of her, and the two splashed each other as though they were old friends. That's what he loved about those two: they were alike in many different ways. Sora always had a better ease to new people, but Roxas found he could connect with people he really thought were nice and happy. Which was weird, considering that he had a scowl on his face most of the itme…

Sora laughed out loud at that thought, earning a nice, scared glance from Naminé. He delved into an explanation, and soon they were both talking animatedly.

"Are you two ever getting into the water?!" Kairi called, laughing from the ocean.

Sora grinned and jerked his head, motioning the blonde girl forward. She blushed and looked down, rubbing her arms. "Nami! Come on!" The redhead coaxed again.

Sapphire eyes hardened as they locked with violet, and the girl sighed, dragging herself out of the water. Whatever had just happened between the two – Naminé had clearly won.

She whispered something and Kairi grinned, "Come on Naminé, it'll be totally adorable then!" She called for Roxas, and the four of them stood there, the blonde girl looking anywhere but at her friends. "Here's the deal… I'm the only one Nam ever goes to the beach with, because everybody loves to swim but her. She can't really swim that well…" Smiling, she looked at Roxas, "But you'll teach her, right?"

Surprisingly, he laughed, "I couldn't swim up until just last year! It's okay… It's easy! I'll stay with you!" He grabbed her hand shyly and they walked towards the water.

Sora suddenly laughed once they were down at the end of the beach.

"What's so funny?" Kairi wondered.

"Roxas has been on the swim team since he was like… eight." He grinned, "He knows how to swim, and _well _too."

Kairi giggled and shook her head, "Naminé's not the best swimmer, but she does know how to swim…" She shrugged, "She just doesn't like the water so much, so that's why she's embarrassed."

Sora smiled, "We're awesome friends, keeping their secrets like that…"

Kairi snorted, "Speak for yourself. I love telling everything about Naminé to new people! It's fun to watch her get all embarrassed!"

He laughed, "Wow, you're nice!" She grinned, ignoring him.

"Come on!"

?

Things went on like this for a long time. Two weeks passed, Roxas ignoring his parents' lame attempts to get ahold of him, and Sora telling Lavender and his mother all about this girl, just so they would let him stay longer.

It seemed that the four of them were almost inseparable, except, of course, when they were sharing a private moment or two together. Which was what was happening right now… Kairi was laying on Sora's chest, telling him about her parents and brothers, while he absorbed these things into his memory, loving the sound of her voice.

"What do you think love is, Sora?"

That caught him off guard.

He shifted, and sat up, holding his weight in his locked elbows and palms, while her head lolled to the side from his sudden movement.

"Love?" He parroted, and she stared at him dumbly with an expression saying 'duh, that's what I just said.' He smiled for a moment and shrugged his shoulders, sitting up straight now.

Her head was now in his lap, hands intertwined on her stomach. He picked up one of them, gently shaking off the other, and squeezed it lightly – almost reassuringly, "I have no idea…"

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"I've never experienced it before… But when I do…" He kissed her hand and blinked his large, azure eyes at her. She was trying to justify exactly what was happening, groping her mind for an answer as she cocked her head to the side. Just what was he getting at? "I'll let you know…"

A squeak escaped her lips and she leaned away from him, blushing madly. He reached up his other hand and brushed the hair from her tanned face, and bent down to kiss her nose.

"That's not really a fair answer you know…" She told him, her tone lecturing.

He rolled his eyes, "Do you know what it is?" A sudden ball formed in his stomach, knotting together at the thought of Riku – he still hadn't asked her about it.

She put on a thoughtful face for a moment, puckering her lips and rolling her eyes upward to watch the sky. The clouds lazed across the sky, bored to even be there. "No, I don't think I do… I mean I've never experienced it…" She stared at him then, a serious expression stealing her normally happy-go-lucky features, "But I think that it's when you can't ever get enough of someone…"

"Don't you get sick of them though?" He countered with a grin. She only hushed him.

"Like when you see something that you wanna do… Like for instance…" She stopped and looked around, then pointed suddenly, causing Sora to jerk away, "Do you see those cliffs over there?"

"Yeah…" He was confused as to where this was going…

"Only the bravest and most adventurous people from all over the place, jump off of those cliffs…" Kairi let on a grin, "And I want to do it sometime! That's what I mean! If you find something you really wanna do, and you're like _Hell yeah!_" She jumped up and whooped, her hold on him releasing for the time being. "And the first person you wanna tell is that special person, and you want to ask them to do it with you?!"

"Are you trying to tell me you want to go cliff diving?" It slipped, and he clamped his mouth shut after he said that, teeth landing hard against each other. He hoped Kairi didn't take it the way that he thought about it.

She ignored it, though he could tell she'd caught on. "Don't you understand what I mean? Where no matter how horrible of a fight you have, still at the end of the night, you want to fall asleep in their arms, even if you would explode and punch them in the face if they said a word to you?"

"Well that's one way to look at it," He joked, but still, she was all serious.

"Do you think we'll ever find that?" She questioned quietly, sitting back down in the sand.

He sat up then, crossing his legs and hunching his back to keep the sun from hitting the top of his already sweltering hair, "Kai…" He cupped her cheek and forced her violet eyes to look at him, "What has you thinking about this?"

She turned away, watching the waves roll lazily up onto shore, and shy away then, in a rhythmic melody that never seemed to stop. "I was hoping you could tell me…"

They lapsed into a silence then, before she quietly excused herself, saying she needed to make it to dance. He kissed her goodbye, and laid on the beach.

What had Kairi meant by that?

Sora shook his head, rolling over onto his back, and watching the trees sway behind them. Kairi and him had found this special spot only yesterday. It was a small island she had spotted when on the pier. She said lots of kids went there to play, and it was basically like a 'no fun suckers allowed' kind of island. But when they finally bribed a kid enough money (he was not cheap - $20 for something that had a hole in it already!) to use his canoe, they hurried across.

They stepped onto the beach and wondered through the bright trees for only a little bit, following the boarded path. She was pretty sure there were a few people who lived there, and a little convenience store, so it wasn't creepy deserted – just peaceful. And then they found the slope and the dock leading out to a _very_ lopsided Papau tree. Beyond that little hill where the tree was located was a quiet beach that kids ran around to play on, and small little exploring coves, complete with a tree house and everything!

They had officially dubbed it their spot…

But… _them…_ Was said _them_ as in the couple of Kairi and Sora fighting? Were they in the middle of their first argument? Sora thought about this for a few minutes. Were they even a couple? Had they made it official or was it just a given?

He sat up, suddenly unsettled by this proclamation in his mind due to all those questions. His brow furrowed, and he swiped at the sand helplessly as he tried to process regular thoughts. Saddling together words was a lot harder than he remembered them being before he'd met her.

He smiled though. He definitely wouldn't have liked it any other way. The girl was too wonderful to have _never_ met, even if they were nothing.

"That's enough of an answer…" He whispered out loud, flopping back over to watch the clouds roll by. But, he really did want to be with Kairi, because he didn't necessarily like the whole _friends with benefits _idea. He had tried it in the past, and it had ended horribly.

So now he had a mission…

Find the perfect way to ask a perfect girl to be your girlfriend… Simple, right?

"I've got to call Roxas…" He moaned, getting up from his spot, and breaking into a sprint.

?

"Kai, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" Selphie squealed and jumped on the girl as soon as she pushed open the door.

The redhead laughed and pushed her off, waving to Naminé and a few other of the girls in the company, "You just saw me two days ago, Selph… remember? You, me, and Nami all went shopping!"

"And you didn't buy anything!" The brunette whined, "So that's like not seeing you!"

"You have a fucked up way of looking at things, Selphie!" Yuffie stuck her tongue out at the girl, and Selphie stood, leaning forward with her hands on her hips.

"You know what!" The girl's big emerald eyes narrowed in accusation, "Your face is fucked up looking, Yuffie!" Everybody, including the victim of Selphie's comeback, burst into laughter, and eventually, Selphie broke into a grin as well.

As soon as it calmed down, the raven haired girl glanced at Kairi, who was throwing off her shorts to reveal the bottom half of her leotard, "So seriously though Kai, where have you been?"

"Just busy…" She gave a wink to the girls, and smirked at Naminé, who giggled in return.

"Are you with that boy?!" Selphie gasped, "Why haven't I met him! You so screwed me over when you told me you wouldn't go to that party with me, and then your _brother_ threw one of his bashes!"

"God… Axel… What a babe!" One girl melted.

"Ew. Stop. He's gross!" Kairi laughed, and turned to Selphie, "Well it's not my fault… I had no idea he was throwing a party… It's our house…"

"He didn't even bother to tell me when I was there earlier!" She whined, throwing her hands up and falling onto the floor in a pout.

"Who was that brunette kid at your brother's party, Kai? He was sooooo cute! You should introduce me!"

"What brunette kid?" She cocked her head to the side, violet eyes blinking in confusion.

"You know all the people at the party, right?" Yuffie smiled, as they both ignored Selphie's griping in the background about how _Yuffie_ went, but not _her_!

"Each and every one… save for like three…" She nodded, "What did he look like?"

"A little short," she held her hands up to gesture to his height, "Big blue eyes, a cute crooked smile, and _super_ spiky hair – what's wrong?"

The girl had gone pale, and forced herself to look away. "Linda's coming," she grumbled angrily, "Let's start stretching."

"Kairi come on! What did I say?"

Naminé shook her head at the girl, and started her own stretches. The others knew not to get involved in the drama, and turned away to stretch on their own. "Kairi –"

"Okay everyone! I hope you're all warmed up! You have a _big_ practice to go through today!" Linda beamed, ignoring the irritated expressions on everybody's faces. She would just pretend that they were all as happy as her, "We have a big performance coming up, and I want you guys to look the best!"

Kairi's thoughts were elsewhere though. She was irritated with Yuffie. When did she get the chance to talk to him? Maybe it was just because she had so many mixed emotions about the whole ordeal.

She had always been, and always would be, a person of fate. Everything happened for a reason, and she let life take her where it wanted to. And it had shown her the way, multiple times, to Sora. She had a connection so strong with him, she didn't even know what to make of it. When she had dated Riku, butterflies never set off in her stomach when she even heard his name. Anger didn't bubble in her blood when someone else tried to take claim over him, and she didn't have this constant itch that was on her body when he wasn't around her.

It was like a disease, and she was at the very peak of it. These emotions could almost send her into hysteria, and she didn't know what to make of it. She tried to get out of Sora earlier what love meant to him – or what it was? She was questioning what if felt like to be in love, because she wanted to place the feeling she had when it came to him, whether it was as strong as love, or if she was just smitten with the boy right now…

Those thoughts plagued her head for more the half of her dance practice. Spinning came natural, as did jumps and freestyles. It seemed Linda's voice melted away, even when she was barking orders (but Kairi was always slow to move on command), and she was left with her own thoughts.

Had her and Sora fought? What were they exactly? And most importantly… Did he feel all these same things she did?

A sigh of frustration escaped her lips when the woman finally released them that day. She meandered around the studio, wasting time until everyone left. Yuffie seemed to try and hang around casually to wait for her, but Kairi made no movement to meet up with her. She wondered around the mirrors, watching as Naminé's eyes followed her movements.

"Want to stay and dance?" The redhead invited, turning to face her best friend.

"I made dinner plans with Roxas…" She said, but took out her phone, "I'll move them to later… You look like you need a partner…"

Those were the words that each always said to each other at a time of crisis. When Kairi's father had gotten into a car accident years ago, and fell into a coma, she lingered in the studio, even though she knew that Naminé was waiting for her.

Those sapphire eyes watched her silhouette move on the wall until the redhead turned and asked those same words. Naminé announced she had plans, but told her _she looked like she needed a partner._

When Naminé's mother had passed away, not too long after that. The girl was beelining for the door. She was determined to stick out dance, as her mother loved to watch her do it, but she didn't want to be there any longer than she had to.

Kairi had called out to her, and when the girl turned, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, the girl cocked her head to her side and spoke softly, "Want to stay and dance?" Naminé let out a sob then, and Kairi waltzed over to her, grabbing her hands and letting on a small, sad smile of her own, "I had a date with the TV tonight, but you look like you need a partner…"

And from then on, whenever they had something to talk about – or something frustrating them, even if it was that they didn't cook the casserole right for dinner, or that somebody got a fatal disease, the other would always be there for each other… That's what ultimately made the two best friends so close.

Both girls started in the middle of the studio, staring at each other as though the other was a mirror image of themselves. Then they moved apart in a spin, back stepping and turning as though the world had stopped, and they kept winding.

They spread apart from each other, each taking off into different techniques, but staying within the same style. It felt freeing to the redhead, to be there with Naminé. She could tell their skills matched the other, and she already felt her frustrations leaving her.

"What's wrong, Kai?"

"I don't know what I'm feeling…" She whispered back to the girl.

"Is it Sora?"

"Can you fall in love within three weeks?"

"Anything is possible…"

"Are you in love with Roxas, Naminé?"

"I don't know yet… You don't need to know, Kairi… You know that, don't you?"

"I guess I don't…"

"Just spend the time you've got with Sora now, and don't worry about things…"

"I'm confused as to what we are… Do you understand what I mean? I mean, their vacation is going to have to end sometime… and I don't want him leaving without me ever knowing where we stood?"

Naminé almost stopped, but reminded herself that this was relaxing to the both of them, "Well that's true… I never thought of it like that. I guess I'm in the same boat as you… But Kai, honestly I wouldn't worry about it…"

"Why am I?"

"Because you're melodramatic, and love nice people?" Naminé laughed – a sound that floated across the room like a dream. "Sora and you make a great match… see where it takes you. It's okay to trust people Kai…" She smiled.

Her friend was being very dramatic about the whole thing, but Kairi couldn't just let a waver of things go. They had to be big and bold for her liking, and wondering about Sora was definitely up her alley.

"Maybe I'm just scared…" Both of the girls analyzed the situation and realized that's probably what it was. Kairi never feeling this way when she thought she did about a previous guy, and it _scaring _her, because she didn't want to go down in flames like the last time.

"Just have fun Kairi, it's summer, honestly?" The girl grinned as they spun back together, closing the dance number in the same formation as before.

They were poised and graceful, falling towards each other, touching just the tips of their fingers in the same pose – just like a mirror.

"It'll be fine…" She giggled. "Don't be so dramatic."

Kairi knew her thoughts were silly, but she was sort of a dreamer. She broke into a grin as well, "You're right… I'm sorry!"

"I'm here, and you know that…"

She hugged the girl then, "Thanks pal…" She ruffled the blonde's hair, causing the littler girl to squeak, "Let's go for a swim, then I promise I'll pass you off to Roxas."

"Deal!"

They raced out the door, heading to their familiar spot in the ocean just down the slope of the dance company's building.

?

"I knew it…"

"Huh?"

"I just knew…"

"What are you talking about?"

There was silence for a moment as both of them listening to the clock ticking on the wall near the dining room table.

"You were going to find somebody the exact _opposite_ of what you wanted."

Another silence wrapped itself around them, slithering and squeezing until one of them suffocated. Sora's mind was wrapped in confusion, while Roxas' was in triumph.

"Roxas?"

"Yeah-huh?"

"What the fuck does that have to do with what I just told you?" He questioned calmly.

The two glanced at each other and burst out laughing. Roxas shook his head, the chuckle still in his throat as he opened the refrigerator door, "We need to go grocery shopping…" He grinned, "All the more reason to use the credit card my parents left here!"

"Why haven't we used that before? It sounds awesome!" Sora jumped up animatedly on the chair, forgetting, for the moment, their latest conversation.

He shrugged and pulled out a container of strawberry topping. The brunette sunk back down onto his stool, and watched the blonde prepare them a snack. "But really, what did you mean by that?"

"Think about your past girlfriends, Sora. They're nothing like Kairi…" Roxas grinned, "Thank god! You sure knew how to pick 'em!"

"Does this mean you approve of my idea?" Sora was impressed with himself – normally, his best friend didn't approve of _anything_ he did.

Roxas nodded and peeled the banana from the counter, slowly getting out a knife, and grumbling about spiting his parents by not using a cutting board. Sora rolled his eyes – like the Harpers (besides Roxas of course) were ever going to come back here.

"Will you help me find a way to ask her out?"

Roxas snorted then, and suddenly Sora's mood didn't seem as close to cloud nine as he originally felt. "You were always way more romantic than me! Why couldn't you just go up to her and say, 'Kairi, I really like you, wanna be my girlfriend?' It's not that hard…"

"But there are so many strings –"

"But there aren't!" Roxas smirked and chortled again, much to Sora's irritation, "Sora, this is a summer fling… Making her your girlfriend might kind of put you guys on a more stable level, but you're going to be off to Twilight Town after the summer's over, too locked up in football and she's going to be in Destiny Islands. It seems like a pretty nice set up for her, and she's not going to want to break that and uproot to move to you…"

Another silence settled like fog over them. Sora glanced around the room, and up at the slight ticking of the ceiling fan whirling above them. "So you disagree?"

"You're kind of emotional," Roxas said right away with a sigh, dumping the strawberry over the cut bananas and pushing it towards Sora so he could help eat them. "Of course I don't disagree… But at the same time, you can't keep worrying about others, what they'll think, and the feelings… Your first impulse was to come back and find this girl, so why can't it be your impulse to do everything else…?"

That was definitely a good way to look at it. The brunette was quiet for a long time, staring at the banana slices as they got lesser and lesser. "I don't want to screw this up…" He looked up, "I know this is cheesy, and I know it doesn't sound a lot like me… but it feels like I've known her for _forever_, and she's special – I can feel it…"

"Then don't screw it up… and act like you were acting like you first met her…" Roxas smiled, poking a banana slice towards him. "Don't worry so much… okay? And then _maybe_ after you stop worrying, and I see an improvement with you, I'll help you find a way to ask her out!"

"Seriously?" The tone in Sora's voice was unmistakable glee.

Roxas' smile turned to a smirk, "I know the perfect way to do it…"

?

**A/N: If you're confused as to why there are so many serious talks in this chapter, read my _Important Note_ at the top of the chapter. It seems unrealistic, but I'm blaming it on the fruit. Trust me, it's the way it's supposed to be, and you'll understand (if you're smart enough hehe) later in the story.**

**I hope you enjoyed!**

**-zesty-**


	7. More Time

**Title: **Every Time We Meet

**Summary: **Onc chance meeting, and a little papau fruit, will intertwine Sora and Kairi's fates for the rest of their lives, no matter how far apart they drift.

**Pairing: **Soriri

**Rating: **T for later in the story

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

**A/N: ~**

**Important Note: **Something that can't fit into the story but will be explained here… I know that Sora and Kairi are like getting way to serious way too fast, at least that's how it seems. It's been three weeks since they met, and it's so contradicting because 1) it always is, isn't it, when you meet someone you really think you might love, but aren't sure, and 2) it's the papau fruit at work here… okay? :) blame the fruit!

**Every Time We Meet, Part 1: A Summer Fling**

**Chapter 7: Waiting on Me**

_Ring ring! _

"Nhmphnn…" He flopped over in his bed violently, his face puckering as though he'd tasted something sour.

_Ring ring!_

"Shud'up!"

_Ring ring!_

Finally, Sora flexed his arms and shoved himself up. He glared at his alarm, but his surrounding slowly set in. He wasn't in his own room, and it wasn't time to get up for school… Instead, he was in Roxas' parents' vacation home in Destiny Islands, and his phone was ringing.

He grabbed it, and smashed the talk button, before holding it groggily to his ear. Already his eyelids were sliding shut as he sunk back into the feathery bed.

"Hello?" He grumbled.

"Sora!" The voice caught him so off guard, he yanked the phone away from his ear, and his eyes immediately snapped open.

"Lav?!" He asked, as though he'd forgotten his sister was still alive.

"I haven't talked to you in forever! Guess what?!" She squealed. He could just picture he ecstatic expression, and groped his mind for the right facial features of Leon, though if he were as excited as her, he couldn't picture the brunette as hyper. Whoa… that was a weird thought.

"What?"

"_I'm moving the wedding to Destiny Islands!_" She practically yelled into the phone. His ear rang, but his head soared.

Did that mean he could stay longer? "Seriously?! No way!"

"Yeah!" She giggled on the other line; he swore he heard a groan and slight muttering somewhere near her, "It turns out Leon's mom _loves_ the weather there! And she said she'd help pay for everyone's trip out there! Isn't that exciting?!"

"Aren't you so glad that you're marrying into a family who's wealth will eventually be passed on to you?" He snickered.

"Fuck you, Sora! I thought you'd be happy!"

"I am Lav," he softened, and sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching a little, "And you know I was just giving you a hard time…"

"I know…" She sighed, "How's things going there? Did you talk things over with Kairi yet?"

Somehow his sister always became informed of things like fights with girlfriends and break ups, new crushes, etc, before he even got the chance to tell her. He chuckled and nodded, but then remembered she couldn't see him, "Yeah, I know what to do now… I just have to talk to her!"

"Good! Don't fuck things up! I like her!" Someone called to her in the back ground, and she piped up once more, "Oops! I've got to go, Sora! The laundryisoverflowingwithsoap again! Bye!" He couldn't really understand her last sentence, but he shrugged and set the phone down anyways.

While doing so, he glanced at the clock, and was surprised to see it read 7:02. Ugh… Why did his sister have to be such an early bird? He shrugged, in a way, not really minding. He was like that as well, but felt no need for it in the summer…

He glanced around the spacious room, taking in the white walls, lined with bamboo leaves as wallpaper, the tall ceiling plastered with wood, and the ceiling fan that made a similar tick as the one downstairs. The mirror to the closet door showed him his rumpled, white, bed sheets and crazier hair than normal.

Glancing towards the bland blue carpet still in the mirror, he saw his red and black running shoes peaking out from where he'd stuffed them in the closet. He'd figured he'd have to train a bit if they stayed there long enough, and now the sudden itch to run was overtaking him.

Grinning, he got out of bed and threw on some athletic shorts and a white T-shirt. Lacing up his shoes, he jogged downstairs, delighted to see that Roxas had yet to wake up. This was just the second day on their extended vacation that he was up before the blonde.

Grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, he slipped out the door and started down the street, breaking into a comfortable pace when he hit the side walk.

The air was surprisingly crisp. He didn't think it would be in Destiny Islands, but perhaps even in the morning, the air he'd breathe in was sharp, and felt nice on his normally hot body. He decided against music today, because this was a new environment to jog in, and it kind of interested him.

He ran passed houses, big and small, while kids were already playing outside. There was a dog who ran up to him once, sprinted past him, and ran back again before its owner yelled his name, and he staggered off again, slobber flinging in the wind.

He passed a delivery man who tipped his had towards Sora, and hopped into his truck, hoping to get done early that day, just by the look on his face. And though he had no idea where he was going, he felt like he had a good idea where he wanted to be.

Eventually, the houses thinned a little, and there were some shops here and there, before He was met with a beach path. Hastily, he took to it, realizing that he would soon complete his life dream of doing his morning exercises on the beach. Grinning, he pushed himself further and tugged open the water bottle with his teeth, water trickling down his throat.

The waves moved slowly and peacefully onto shore, pulling and pushing with that tranquil sound. Gulls called to each other somewhere overhead, though Sora didn't stop to look around. He soaked in the scenery – the sun just beginning to hit the beach, sand rolling over itself from yesterday's rustling and playing. The water was so clear this morning that he could probably see the bottom if he got close enough.

He passed a couple of other people jogging, having found this paradise far before he did, and a couple on a bike, yelling and laughing with each other passed him as well. He came to a building, perched on the edge of the beach, music flooding from the windows ajar.

He would have normally just passed, humming with the beat of the song, but something caught his eye. Kairi's bike was half heartedly propped against the wall, ready to tip at any given moment. She was in there? Why?

Slowing down to a walk, he chugged some more water, and moved stealthily to the window to poke his head in. The song that caught his attention turned more and more to a jazz type piece, making him all the more interested in what the girl was doing.

Inside, he first saw a brunette with curly hair, soft honey eyes shining with pride and amazement. He looked around for a flash of red, before suddenly it came soaring across the window.

She was dancing…

He watched her spin and fall to the ground, before getting up, and float across the floor. Her feet barely touched the ground as she leapt, landing gracefully down again, her upper body not just stopping there, but almost sweeping the ground. It was a great illusion – Kairi seemed like she was flying.

His eyes couldn't escape her. The way she moved like she should have been part of nature itself. How her hair seemed to curl around her in ribbons when she spun, her sparkling eyes rivaling those of any star. But what got him the most was the smile. That dancer smile that took her off the boundaries of earth and into a place only she could understand was leaving him breathless.

An idea suddenly flickered alive in his mind, and sucked up his attention span like a fire hungry for oxygen. As quickly as he came, he went again, though this time with a purpose. And after he got there, got what he needed, and came back, he'd flee the scene of the crime as though he were guilty.

?

"You have it pretty much perfect, Kai…" She smiled, "I'm very proud of you… you've come so far with this piece. It's so difficult!"

Kairi plopped down on the floor and stretched her legs in front of her, wiggling her toes to reach as far as she could with her foot. A smile danced upon her lips as she leaned back on her palms, "Thanks, Linda! You've been half of the work! Getting my ass out here every day, and helping me learn everything I didn't know how to do!"

"It was the least I can do! You're a beautiful dancer…" She shook her head with a chuckle, "You should get Nam in here more – you two would be a power couple in a duet!"

"I know," she nodded and smiled, "But I think Nami wants to have more of life than dance too," she winked, "Not everyone is as crazy as me!"

"So true," Linda laughed, hoisting her up. "You'd better be going… Don't want your brothers snooping around to find out where you've been, right?"

She laughed, throwing her head back and letting the sound echo off the walls. Spinning towards her duffle bag, she giggled, the sound floating through the almost empty room, "I guess you're right. Thanks again for your help! I'll see you again tomorrow!"

"You bet Kai, great job today!" She waved one last time before the girl pushed open the doors and headed to her bike. On top of it though, there was a single red rose, with a little tag on it.

Confused, she pulled it off of the seat of her bike and flipped it open.

_You're an amazing dancer…_

_Our place 2?_

She smiled knowing exactly who it was and getting giddy at the thought. Butterflies took off in her stomach, fluttering into full flight, and not planning on landing anytime soon.

Of course she'd be there…

?

He sat there, lying with his eyes closed as he listened to the sound of nature. It had gotten quite used to him being there for such a long time, so still in the sand. Eventually, animals of all types began cooing their sounds once more, and the very ocean seemed more relaxed with him there.

It was so peaceful there, that he wondered if he'd ever want to leave. Though Twilight Town was a beautiful city, he knew there was just something about this summer that would cause the beach to forever be alluring to him, tugging at him just as the moon tugs at the tide.

He was so deep into his thoughts, when he didn't hear the soft padding or sweet shifting of sand behind him until a light weight appeared on his stomach. He wasn't alarmed as his eyes fluttered open to see the smiling face of Kairi, her head resting calmly on his abdomen.

Her smile was soft, and her eyes were tired with a hard day's work.

"Hi…" Her voice was mild, though not at all distance as she stared at him.

He let a hand fall to her back and rubbed up and down tenderly for a moment, before flashing a goofy grin and replying, "Hey…"

There was a soft silence before Kairi shook her head, hiding her face in his stomach. A low rumble caused her to look back up and smirk at him, "You must be hungry…"

"I've been out here for a while," he told her, though his tone lightened the mood into a joke.

"Really?" She pushed the hair out of her face as a gust of wind brought it into her eyes, "Waiting on me already, huh?"

"I think I'd wait forever," he admitted with a laugh.

"You think so?" She giggled, and flattened her legs out in front of her after sitting up. He sat up as well, and they mirrored each other's positions in the sand. The wind brought the chill of the water to them, though it felt nice on such a hot day.

"Who knows," he shrugged. Without saying anymore, he leaned forward and traced a finger under her chin, tugging her lightly forward. He lightly pressed his lips to hers, and her eyes fluttered shut. With a satisfied sigh, she leaned closer to him, before he pushed back at her with the same amount of pressure, and they both began the battle to fight for dominance.

They stayed like this for who knows how long, enjoying each other's company, though neither talking.

"Did we fight?" She finally asked him, burying his legs in the sand, "Or did we…" she trailed, not being able to locate a word for what had happened the day before.

"I think we had our first argument…" Sora shrugged, almost nonchalant. She was just about to open her mouth to argue with him, asking why he could be so cool about it, but he beat her to it, "But I think we handled it pretty well…"

Her mouth clamped shut and she bit her tongue. Wincing, she gave a sheepish smile and continued to move sand over his tanned limbs.

"We don't need to be serious, ya know…" She said matter of factly, "After all, it's just a summer fling… right?"

Her eyes suddenly connected with him, a kind and fiery violet to a goofy and charming sapphire. It seemed to take Sora hours to finally say his reply.

"Right…"

Though unknown to the other, neither believed what they had just said. They knew it was something much more than a three month fling…

?

"What am I going to _wear?!_" She gasped exasperatedly, throwing articles of clothing comically all around her room.

Selphie lay sprawled out on her bed, watching various dresses, skirts, and the occasional shoe fly over her head. "You know, if you'd just let me pick –"

"You'd pick the whore-i-est outfit in the whole closet!"

"You know that's not a word…"

"You're avoiding the fact that its true…" Kairi grumbled, calmly walking out and holding up a dress. "Is this good enough?"

"Too casual… Kai, this is not just a summer walk on the beach. This is a fancy diner! For all you know, he could be showing up in a tux!" She groaned, yelling something about her brunette friend not helping, and tromped back into the closet.

Selphie shook her head and entered against the redhead's will, and slowly started sifting around. "Why don't you just go buy one?"

"I'm _sure_ I have something good enough in my closet to wear!" Selphie had a feeling Kairi was being so stubborn (considering the girl was just as much of a shopaholic as _she_ was) because she didn't want to admit she needed Selphie's help.

"Can I just go out and buy you a dress?"

"_No!_ You may _not_ do that!" Exasperated, Kairi whirled around, eyes wide, "Why would you purpose that?!"

"It would take a lot less time…" Selphie mumbled, rubbing a hand on her neck.

The redhead stopped what she was doing and turned towards her friend, "But –"

"Kai, you don't even have to admit that you need my help!" She grabbed her best friend's hand, keeping a firm hold on it even when she tried to pull away, "You can just come with me!" Almost gleefully she skipped from the room.

The redhead groaned and rolled her eyes at Alex when he walked by, snickering with Axel not far behind at seeing the girl being dragged away.

"We never see you at home anymore, Kai!" Axel joked. She turned and stuck her tongue out at him, ready to make a nasty retort, but Selphie yanked her out the door before she had the chance.

"Where are we going?!" Kairi demanded as she was shoved into the passenger seat of her friend's car. The little yellow Porsche gleamed in her driveway and she usually admired the girl's taste, but right now, she glared at it with rage. "I don't have time to play dress up, Selphie!"

"Don't get all round up!" The girl barked, hopping into the driver's side. She rubbed the fuzzy pink steering wheel tenderly for a moment before pushing the button to start the car. "We're going to find you a sexy little outfit that he's going to fall in _love_ with!"

"I don't believe you…" Kairi grumbled.

Selphie's smile grew wide and smug, and suddenly a knot twisted in the redhead's stomach, "You don't have to…"

?

"Selphie, I really don't think –"

"Don't talk!" Kairi bit back a comment, "Let me work…" They marched through the mall, Kairi basically having to run to keep up with the girl.

People moved out of _their_ way, instead of the other way around, with Selphie's gleaming emerald eyes, determination spewing out of them like a fountain. The scowl she wore when she was dead set on doing something (often mistaken for furious rage) scared people away, parting them like the Red Sea.

"I know exactly where we're going!"

"Is it –"

"_I said don't talk!_"

"Christ Selphie!" Kairi snapped at her, trying to pull her hand away. Of course though, like every other time she tried to break free of being a hostage, it didn't work.

This time, the brunette said nothing as she reared into a fancy looking store. Kairi groaned, obviously recognizing it instantly. "Selphie I –"

Immediately she went to the wrack and started throwing out dresses into the girl's arms. The redhead finally sighed with defeat. Selphie recognized it and turned towards her friend, "We're here now, you've just admitted defeat, and –" she grinned, "- it's time to have fun! You're going on your first _official_ date with Sora! Be excited dammit!"

Kairi rolled her eyes, but giggled. "Where do you think he'll take me?"

"Well obviously it's somewhere nice!" She beamed at the girl, yanking on another wrack.

The redhead shifted the dresses already accumulating on top of her into one arm, and walked to another wrack, sliding the hangers noisily along, trying to spot one she liked.

"Wow, look who it is…" Both whipped around to see Riku standing there, a threatening smirk on his lips.

Selphie's normally bright, happy and emerald eyes snapped into a glare, and she spun all the way around, completely abandoning the task of finding Kairi a dress. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Well this is a public place…" He rolled his eyes, "Though I couldn't expect you to know that…"

Selphie growled. Though she was short and little, she could be extremely pushy and intimidating at times. This of course, didn't phase Riku at all.

Kairi stood without speaking, taking in his features. He was tan, and his silver hair held a beautiful gleam to it, just as it had when they had dated. She suddenly felt self conscious being there in front of him.

"Kairi, looking wonderful as always…" He winked at her, but she knew it was more to get under her skin than to be nice, "but I see you aren't as tough to me when there aren't any boys around… Did he already go running back off to his city? That was fast work you made with him –"

"They're actually a thing," Selphie defended without Kairi's permission.

_Selph, why did you tell him? _Part of her mind whined. She knew exactly why, but she hated to admit it.

"He came back looking for her… It was very romantic!"

"Leave it to you to find something as weird as that romantic… You didn't know him long, right, Kai?"

"Don't call me that…" she mumbled lamely.

He smirked and walked closer to her, much to Selphie's dismay. A growl ripped from her throat, but he didn't heed the warning. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned close to her ear, "Don't you think that's kind of creepy? You wouldn't want someone using you for sex, would you Kairi?"

As much as Kairi wanted to punch him, move away and make a nice, smart ass remark, or even spit in his eyes, she couldn't. She was frozen there like a statue, not knowing exactly what to say, or even _think_. Why did he have to do this?

"Back off, Riku!" The brunette barked, shaking Kairi away from him. "Nobody wants you here!"

"How many times must I remind you this is a public setting… I could be here all day…"

"Yeah? You _want_ to be kicked in the balls?" She snarled back at him.

"You wouldn't touch me…"

"Wanna bet?!" She flew forward, like a fly on a horse, and his friends pulled him back.

"Let's fucking ditch man – she's psycho!"

"So not worth the shot!" The other one said, pulling him back. Aquamarine eyes continued to stare at Kairi, who found the floor oh so interesting.

"Remember what I said," He almost sang to Kairi, before turning curtly and meandering out of the store.

Selphie shook her head in disgust, grabbing Kairi's trembling hand, "He's such a creep…" She brushed the bangs from the redhead's violet eyes, "You okay?"

"I guess…" she replied lamely, "Can we find the dress now?" She tried to pull of a smile. It was fake and pretty shaken, but Selphie decided it would be best to get the girl's mind off of the trauma that was Riku.

"Sure!" She pulled the girl along with one last glance towards the front. Riku was standing just outside the store, smirking at the girls, before turning and walking away.

?

Kairi breathed, flicking a curl out of her face, "You think I look good?"

"You couldn't have found a better dress!" Selphie complimented, grinning.

The girl glanced again in the mirror, turning this way and that to try and get her body at every viewable angle possible. The dress was a shimmery baby blue, hugging her body in all of the right places. It went midway down her thigh, and had one strap on her left shoulder, thick enough that it ran diagonally over to her right. The whole dress looked bunched, one piece of fabric folding under another in a sexy, but sophisticated way. She completed the look with black heels – one strap by her toes, and one around her ankle with the bow in the back.

Her long, crimson hair was curled via Selphie, and allowed to cascade down her back in a flowing, elegant way. The littler friend placed a sparkling hair piece into her hair as well, and her look was complete with some smoky eye make up and a natural looking pink liquid lip stick.

"Well I'd say this is about as good as it's gonna get…" She smiled and shook her head.

"Hey Kai?" Selphie suddenly put on a very serious face, and her friend turned towards her, concern etched onto her features.

"Yeah?"

"Just don't think –"

The doorbell rang throughout the house, almost every member of the Porter family yelling "I'll get it!" Kairi dashed from the room just in time to see Axel and Reno jumping down the stairs.

"I've got it!"

"No way! This is your first date in like twenty years! _I want to get it!_"

"I've never once in my life answered the door!"

Kairi swiftly kicked her heels at them, one hitting Axel in the privates, and the other nearly smashing into his face. He flicked it away in desperation and Reno tripped on it, though he wasn't down and out yet. He scampered towards the stairs where Kairi hadn't stopped to see if her brothers were okay.

Alex was trolling up the stairs from the basement at an alarming rate, tripping over himself to get to the door. Kairi smashed the door shut, sending him cursing and tumbling down the stairs.

Screams came from her mother and father. It was something along the lines of "_I just want to talk to the kid!" _and "Andrew, you'll scare him away for sure!"

Selphie appeared upstairs with her shoes, knowing Kairi would be the first to the door (as she normally was, since she had far more tactics than the boys), and chucked them downstairs.

One hit Reno in the back and he stopped to yell at the brunette about it. Alex finally made it up the stairs and tackled Reno down, thinking he was the closest to the door. Everybody wanted to poke fun at the first guy Kairi had brought home in a long time, but nobody would get the chance.

"Go Kairi! Run!" Selphie cheered, a wide grin on her face. She loved when the doorbell rang at the Porter's house, because it was always comical to watch the intense race to the door. All of them were very spontaneous and outgoing people – not to mention competitive, and enjoyed holding bragging rights. The door was a simple every day thing…

When she was younger, she used to _beg_ her boyfriends to ring the doorbell when she was at Kairi's hosue, just as a special treat to herself.

The girl flung open the door, shoes in her hand, hair frazzled. Her eyes held a wild look – matching the crazed fighting behind her.

"Ready?!" She breathed.

"Uh…" He was speechless. He wanted to tell her she looked stunning, or maybe take the flowers out from behind his back and surprise her… but he couldn't break away from how much panting she was doing, or the screams from inside the house. Not to mention the near murder that was happening behind her.

"Great! Let's go!" She slammed the door, and disappointed yells were heard from behind the door. Selphie yelled something inside as Kairi rushed him down the sidewalk.

"What was _that_?!" He demanded.

She flashed him a smile and patted down her hair. They stopped at the end of the long driveway where he had parked the car, and she slowly put on her shoes. "Let's pretend that I'm coming out of the house right now…"

He blinked stupidly.

"Come on Sora! Turn around, then turn back around and pretend it's the first time you've seen me all night!"

"Uhm…" He stuttered, but slowly turned around. She giggled, and he noticed he was still holding the flowers behind his back.

She flicked her hair from her face, and shined her cell phone on her face to make sure her make up was alright. She flattened out her dress and sucked in a breath. The worst part was already over. "Okay…" He turned back around, and tried to pretend this was the first time he'd seen her all night.

She was downright gorgeous. "Hey Kai…" He stated, trying to play along. He seemed better at it than her, because she snickered.

"Hi… Are you ready to go?"

He nodded, and revealed the already discovered roses to her, "These are for you…" He smiled, "I would have gotten more, but I bought out the whole stock at the grocery store…"

There were just over two dozen, and she squeaked in surprise before jumping into his arms. "You're the best!"

He laughed and slipped an arm around her back. "You look really beautiful by the way…"

"You think?!" She beamed.

He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "You have to explain to me what happened though…"

She gestured to the car, and he quickly opened the door for her before she could, and then jogged to the other side, slipping in.

"This is really nice!" She gasped, "I didn't know you had a car this cool!" Laughing, she glanced at him, to find that he was staring at her with a serious look on his face. There was no need to tell the girl it was Roxas' dad's car, and besides, he really wanted to be filled in. "Okay…" She sighed, "Well technically you really haven't met any of my family. My mother of course, Molly… Never my dad, never Reno, Alex you met when he was hung over and cranky, so that barely counts, and you've _seen_ Axel before…"

"Okay…" He started the car with a grin, signaling to her that she should keep going.

"My family is all _very_ close…" She laughed and glanced out the window, her eyes growing distant, "Everybody thinks its so weird how we're all so protective about each other, and so into each other's lives…" She shrugged, "Being the only daughter in the family, everybody finds my life to be far more interesting than they should, except for my mom… But since it's my mom, she naturally wants to know too… And well," another laugh escaped her pink lips, "They all know I'm going on a date tonight with this guy they've barely met, but know I've been seeing…" She glanced at him for the first time.

"And we're all pretty…" She searched for the word, rolling her hand in the air as he gripped the steering wheel, eyes barely on the road. "Competitive, and want to know things first… It's sort of like a game…" –giggles- "So they knew when that doorbell sounded, if they got there first, they'd immediately get to hammer you… It's pretty intense to get out of the house without anyone harassing you!"

What she just said really didn't make sense to Sora. He tried to put it into perspective with his own family – Sora always wanting to know everything about Lavender's life, and vise versa, but he figured it didn't even _compare_ to Kairi's family, considering Sora barely ever wanted to get the door when he knew one of Lavender's boyfriends was coming over.

"They sound great!" Was all he could think to say. It was so different than his own family, but sounded immensely fun.

"You'll have to come over for dinner sometime!" She beamed, wiggling around in her seat, animatedly slapping the dash, "And then you can meet everyone! Then if you survive it and can still tolerate me we'll know its true love!"

Both of them laughed, the words of her sentence never quite hitting them in the right way. Both sat in silence for a moment, collecting their thoughts. Sora began to grow nervous, groping his mind for something to say.

"Where are we going?" It seemed Kairi did it for him, "Or is it a surprise?!"

"No surprise…" He grinned, "We're going to a place my sister told me about…"

"And what place would that be?"

"It's called the Crab King…"

She paled, "What?! Dressed like this? Shit at least let me –"

"_Trust me_!" He breathed out, laying a hand on hers to calm her down. He glanced from the road to her, noticing how the sunset seemed to capture her silky skin, "The name is very deceiving…"

"I hope you're right!" She moaned, thudding her head against the window.

?

**A/N: Wow! That was longer than I thought it would end up being!**

**I hope you like Kai's family hehe, it was so fun to write! Uh Oh! More information on Riku the asshole! Eek! O.o**

**I hope you enjoyed!**

**-zesty-**


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